《Please Take Me Home Daddy by Mona Surrey》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 The Illegitimate Daughter The sharp voice of a woman pierced the air. ¡°Vixen! I¡¯m starving! Hurry up and fix me something to eat!¡± In hurried strides, Laura Yale made her way over to the cupboard on her petite legs, rifling through its contents. A few momentster, she stood before her mom with a timid expression and mumbled, ¡°Mommy¡­ there¡¯s no pasta left¡­¡± Lilian Yale¡¯s response was swift and harsh as she yelled, ¡°If there¡¯s no pasta, can¡¯t you just go out and buy some?¡± Laura¡¯s ears rang from the loud noise, her face devoid of any emotion. ¡°But I don¡¯t have any money,¡± she managed to utter softly. Lilian rolled her eyes, holding a cigarette between her teeth as she rummaged through her shabby red wallet in search of money. Her expression shifted as she flipped through the wallet¡¯s contents. A frown formed as she stared at the paltry 1 dor in her hand. In a dismissive gesture, she tossed the coin at Laura as if discarding trash. ¡°Go on and buy it! All you ever talk about is money! When are you ever going to earn some money for me?¡± Laura did not respond. She picked up the meager coin and silently made her way out to the door. As the door closed behind her, her stomach protested with a series of grumbles. She hurriedly massaged her belly in an attempt to appease its grumbling, softly reassuring, ¡°Calm down; it¡¯ll be all right.¡± Maybe she could treat herself to a bowl of leftover mushroom soup if she made her mom some pasta. The fragrance of warm dried pasta never failed to soothe her. With delicate and cautious steps, Laura climbed the aging staircase with her petite legs. Even at her young age, she had long known that her mother, Lilian, was far from virtuous. Lilian went straight to prison shortly after Laura¡¯s birth. Laura had been raised within the confines of an orphanage, where the other children often taunted her as ¡°the child of a criminal.¡± Nheless, her heart always held onto the fervent hope of one day meeting her mom. And that day finally arrived when she turned four. She finally met Lilian and immediately recognized her. The aura Lilian exuded was undeniably familiar, as her beauty was a mirror image of how Laura imagined her mother to be. However, Lilian had a bad temper, in stark contrast to the tales others had spun about how kind and gentle mothers could be. Lilian would call Laura a vixen whenever sheid eyes on her, never sparing thetter from a torrent of curses ever since the day Lilian brought Laura away from the orphanage. During the six months she spent under her mom¡¯s roof, Laura had heard the truth about her dad and another woman. It was said that her father lived a good life, and was married with three sons. Laura, being the fourth child, was incessantly belittled to a position beneath anyone else. She slept on the bare floor and ate whatever was left of her mom¡¯s meals. And because her features bore a striking resemnce to her dad¡¯s, her mom believed it was all right to mistreat her. Nheless, Laura did not me her mom. After descending the stairs, Laura hastened to the mini-mart to buy the cheapest dried pasta avable. Fearing her mom¡¯s wrath, she dashed back home without dy. She knew too well the consequences of arrivingte. As she approached the corridor outside her home, her mom was there as well. Laura was just about to call out to Lilian, yet her voice caught in her throat. Lilian was seen pestering a greasy middle-aged man, her lips curving into a sugary smile as she pleaded, ¡°Harry, please. I¡¯ve run out of money, and the rent is long overdue! I¡¯m on the brink of starving!¡± The middle-aged man wore a grin on his face as he fished out his phone, but just as he was about to make a transfer, a robust woman unexpectedly burst forth from the background, using, ¡°You shameless woman, trying to seduce my husband again!¡± A scuffle ensued, leaving Laura wide-eyed as she witnessed the woman fiercely clutching her mother¡¯s hair. An anguished groan escaped Lilian¡¯s lips. Laura¡¯s instincts urged her to step in, but Lilian¡¯s warning to avoid her affairs with other men held her back. She stood there, powerless and helpless, watching the tumultuous scene y out before her eyes. The struggle intensified, reaching a peak as her panicked mom managed to break free, dashing toward the edge of the residential area. The woman pursuing Lilian remained unyielding, her voice slicing through the air. ¡°Stop running, you shameless woman!¡± Laura hurried after them, clutching the packet of dried pasta in her hand. She called out desperately, ¡°Mommy! Mommy!¡± However, Lilian paid no heed, her red dress billowing like a flower in full bloom as she rushed toward the road. Abruptly, the screech of tires shattered the moment; a car collided with Lilian¡¯s figure. Amidst the cacophony, Laura¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment as she witnessed Lilian being hurled through the air before crashing down with a resounding thud. Thump! In a heartbeat, the scene erupted into chaos. Some people pulled out their phones, hushed whispers spreading like wildfire, while others gathered around to observe with curiosity. The woman who had been in pursuit of Laura¡¯s mom paled, seized by fear. She quickly grabbed the greasy man and hastened to flee the scene. Laura¡¯s mind was a whirlwind of confusion. She approached her fallen mom, squatting down beside her in a daze. ¡°Mommy¡­ Are you okay?¡± she stammered softly. Liliany in a pool of blood, eyes wide but vacant, body twitching involuntarily. Laura felt utterly lost. She spoke hesitantly, her voice quivering. ¡°I brought back the pasta. Can we go home now? We can have dinner.¡± Blood trickled from the corners of the woman¡¯s lips as she struggled to speak. Laura leaned in, straining to hear her mom¡¯s feeble words. ¡°What are you going to do¡­ I¡¯ve left you behind¡­ What are you going to do?¡± After uttering those words, the glimmer in her mom¡¯s eyes abruptly dimmed. Chapter 2 Softly, Laura called out, ¡°Mommy?¡± There was no response. The car¡¯s owner grew flustered as he said, ¡°Your mom ran onto the road on her own! It wasn¡¯t my fault! Where is your dad? Let¡¯s talk this out calmly!¡± Unperturbed by his words, Laura continued to shake Lilian repeatedly. ¡°Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!¡± Laura¡¯s pleas grew more desperate. ¡°Mommy, please, wake up! Please yell at me like you usually do! Mommy, I brought the pasta back! Don¡¯t ignore me, Mommy!¡± Yet, despite her frantic efforts, Lilian remained unresponsive. Gradually, a crowd began to gather around, cautiously inquiring, ¡°Kid, where is your dad?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have a daddy.¡± In haste, Laura lifted her tear¨Cstreaked face, her voice choked with sorrow. ¡°I only have my mommy!¡± Her words hung in the air, leaving everyone momentarily stunned. Ady among the onlookers gazed at Laura with a mix of astonishment and sympathy. Laura¡¯s sobs intensified. ¡°Please save my mommy. Someone, please save her! She¡¯s ignoring me!¡± After saying those words, she couldn¡¯t understand why, but many people regarded her with pity and even tears in their eyes. Someone captured the scene and posted it directly on the inte, where it quickly became a trending topic under the headline: [Breaking news] Laura¡¯s innate beauty was undeniable, and the sight of the dainty child weeping for her mom struck a chord in the hearts of those who beheld it. In the sea ofments, a lone post stood out. It read: [I know this girl. Her mom has a history of imprisonment and the girl was subjected to daily mistreatment. Such a tragedy! Her name is L!] Most of thements were brimming with heartfelt concern: [Such a poor child, crying so miserably after her mother¡¯s passing! I really want to hold her close!] [L, stop crying. I¡¯ll buy you all, the candy in the world!] Soon, a new trending topic emerged: [BringLHome] In an office, a woman approached a man with her phone in hand. ¡°Mr. Yale, I¡¯ve found a potential business opportunity.¡± Chapter 2 The handsome mannguidly opened his eyes and took the phone from her. As he yed the video, the heart¨Cwrenching sobs of a little girl reached his ears, causing his brows to furrow. ¡°I hate kids.¡± The woman persisted, ¡°This child is different. She¡¯s an orphan now. Her mother has just passed away, so she¡¯ll probably end up in an orphanage. If we are able to arrange for her adoption and give her a makeover, she could be an overnight online celebrity. And look at her.¡± She paused the video and zoomed in. ¡°This child is an incredibly rare beauty, a one¨Cin¨Ca¨Cmillion enchanting little girl. Hermercial value is exceedingly high!¡± On the screen, Laura was holding a packet of dried pasta in one hand, her other hand held by a police officer. Her delicate face bore an expression of shock as she gazed at a pool of blood. She appeared fragile and beautiful. Louis Yale cast a casual nce at the screen before his gaze abruptly focused on the girl. ¡°This child!¡± he eximed inwardly. He zoomed in on the photo until the girl¡¯s features were distinct, and a sudden wave of surprise washed over him, causing goosebumps to crawl all over his skin. ¡°She¡¯s an orphan?¡± The woman¡¯s eyes gleamed with intrigue. ¡°Yes, not just an orphan, but one with a tragic fate. I checked quickly and discovered her mother¡¯s name is Lilian. She was sentenced to prison five years ago for intentional assault. Upon her release on parole, she took her daughter back home. It¡¯s been said that she frequently subjected her daughter to mistreatment. Anyone who seizes this opportunity could make a significant profit. Mr. Yale, I urge you to consider this!¡± Louis was taken aback as his inner voice cried out, ¡°Lilian? Isn¡¯t that my wicked little sister?¡± He swiftly searched the inte on his phone and indeed stumbled upon an uncensored video of the ident. The woman sprawled on the ground was his estranged sixth sister, whom he had disowned five years ago. His blood¨Crted biological sister. The malicious woman had once climbed into Antonio Smith¡¯s bed while he was drunk, even going so far as to attempt to harm Louis¡® fifth sister. After Lilian became pregnant, Antonio had given her money for an abortion. ¡°Did she not proceed with the abortion? Did she still give birth to the child after all?¡± Louis¡® thoughts raced. Louis studied Laura¡¯s facial features intently. Apr She looked exactly like Antonio as if they were carved out of the same mold. He quickly captured a screenshot and sent it to Antonio, apanied by a message that read: [Do you know this is your daughter? You actually have a daughter! Lilian actually bore you a daughter! Holy crap!] Their exchanges were usually sinct, and this marked the first longest message Louis had sent Antonio. Before long, Antonio responded to Louis¡® message with a single question mark: [?] COMMENT Chapter 3 Chapter 3 Antonio Smith clicked on the message he received as soon as his meeting concluded and saw the picture of a girl. Her facial features were almost identical to his, except for her mouth. A grim look shed past his eyes, and he clenched his fists. He cursed inwardly. ¡°Darn it! I can¡¯t believe that woman did something like this to mess with me after taking advantage of me back then!¡± He asked: [Where is Lilian?] Louis¡® response came quickly. It was a video. In the video. Lilian was lying in a pool of blood. The little girl was howling sorrowfully beside her lifeless body. Someone asked the girl. ¡°Where is your daddy?¡± The girl said without hesitation, ¡°I don¡¯t have a daddy!¡± Hearing the girl¡¯s words, Antonio frowned and thought to himself, ¡®No Daddy? It¡¯s pretty obvious why Lilian gave birth to this child, but she actually told the girl she didn¡¯t have a daddy. What was she thinking?¡± His expression was gloomy. Just as he was about to put down his phone, he couldn¡¯t help clicking on the video and ying it again. The girl in the video was crying her heart out, repeatedly calling out for her mother. s, Lilian couldn¡¯t respond to her anymore. His heart ached for no reason, and he tightened his grip on his phone. He thought, ¡®Darn it! I can¡¯t believe I have an illegitimate child! How am I going to exin this to Winnie?¡± Louis¡® message came in quickly! It read: [Winnie can¡¯t know about this! Back then, Winnie had a kidney removed because of Lilian and even became blind in one eye. She just had a corneal repair procedure. She will break down if she finds out about your illegitimate daughter!] Naturally, Antonio knew he couldn¡¯t let Winnie know. He got drunk that night because of certain reasons. Lilian seized the o bed by impersonating Winnie. What happened that night left a stain on his life. He didn¡¯t expect the stain to still be there. Just as he was pondering, his phone rang again. His three sons unanimously sent him pictures of Laura from various angles. One of them questioned: [Dad, where¡¯d you get an illegitimate daughter?] to climb into his Another asked: [I heard that you cheated on Mom once. Was this the child you had with another woman back then?] The third son expressed his disappointment: [Dad, you¡¯ve let us down.] A deep frown marred Antonio¡¯s countenance. His three children had inherited his and Winnie¡¯s high intelligence, so it was impossible to hide anything from them. ¡°But¡­ Even though the girl looks like me, it¡¯s not necessarily my child,¡± he thought. Just then, Louis set up a group chat with Antonio and thetter¡¯s three sons. Louis typed: [All three of them found out about it. I failed to hide it from them. Let¡¯s discuss what to do with this child. How about putting her up for adoption?] Xander Smith: [If she¡¯s my father¡¯s biological daughter, she¡¯s rted to us by blood. It is strange to send her out for adoption. She maye back to haunt us one day. So she might as well be left to fend for herself.] Everett Smith: [She¡¯s still a kid. How can we do that? Let¡¯s send her abroad for adoption so she¡¯ll never find out about us.] Jasper Smith: [Even though she¡¯s abroad, she can still find out about us. Best to leave her be and let her fend for herself.] Louis: [You guys are such ¡°kind souls.¡± She¡¯s your sister, for goodness¡® sake.] [Ha¨Cha, what a joke. How decent can she be when she¡¯s raised by an evil woman? I won¡¯t acknowledge her as our sister. Uncle Louis, you don¡¯t want her either, do you?] Louis: [You¡¯re right. I don¡¯t.] Antonio¡¯s face was grim. After a while, he stood up and typed: [Find out where she is. I¡¯m going to do a paternity test with her.] He couldn¡¯t believe the girl was his child. Laura curled up on a chair at the police station with snacks piled next to her. The police stepped in to see this scene. The four¨Cyear¨Cold girl had long hair that cascaded down her back, resembling a delicate doll in a toy store. She was breathtakingly beautiful. Such a pretty child did not deserve such a horrible fate. The female police, Angie, snacks?¡± she asked, hear forward. ¡°L, why didn¡¯t you eat anything? Do you not like the Laura lifted her head timidly. ¡°You left these snacks here. I can¡¯t eat them. They¡¯re not mine.¡± Angie was stunned. With tears brimming in her eyes, she said in a choked voice, ¡°Go ahead and eat. I specially brought the snacks for you.¡± ¡°Thank you, Madam, but I don¡¯t want it. I have dried pasta.¡± Laura presented the packet of dried pasta she had been holding in her hand. ¡°When Mommy is done eating the pasta, I will get to have some leftover mushroom soup. When will Mommye back?¡± For a moment, Angie was stumped by the question, not knowing how to answer. ¡°She will have the leftover soup after her mother finishes the pasta? What a devil her mother was!¡± Angie thought to herself. Ìï Chapter 4 Angie was furious and held the little girl in her arms. ¡°L, your mother won¡¯t being back.¡± Laura¡¯s heart skipped a beat. ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Because she is¡­¡± Angie paused for a moment, finding it hard to say the word ¡°dead¡± to a child. Hence, she managed. ¡°She¡¯s gone to heaven to be a superhero.¡± Laura tilted her head and asked, ¡°What is a superhero?¡± ¡°Um¡­ A superhero is one of those powerful adults you see on television.¡± ¡°Like Queen Giselle?¡± Laura asked innocently. Angie nodded and said, ¡°Yes! She went to be Queen Giselle, so she can¡¯t take care of you. anymore.¡± Laura hung her head in disappointment. Angie was stunned. ¡°L, don¡¯t you wonder why your mother didn¡¯t take you with her?¡± The other police officers came out one by one and looked at the little girl. Laura¡¯s face was filled with sorrow as she shook her head and said, ¡°Mommy told me that if she has a good ce to go in the future, she will not bring me along. Instead, she¡¯ll leave me at home to fend for myself.¡± Laura felt the urge to cry but pouted her lips, struggling to hold back her tears. ¡°I know that Mommy will leave someday. When the timees, I must be happy for Mommy and can¡¯t be sad.¡± However, sadness still overwhelmed Laura to the point that she felt like bawling her eyes out. She covered her eyes and said, ¡°But I¡¯d be alone again¡­¡± All the officers looked at her sadly. H Even the elderly police chief, who was experienced in life, couldn¡¯t help feeling sorry for the pitiful girl. She was still so young, yet she had suffered so much. Antonio walked in to see this scene. The little girl who looked almost, identical to him was nestling in the arms of a policewoman, tearfully holding a packet of dried pasta. She w believe his eyes. ¡°She¡¯s ridiculously cute,¡± he thought. adorable and tiny that he almost couldn¡¯t He felt slightly short of breath, and even the three young men¡¯s gaze darkened when they saw the child. ¡°This child¡­ How can she be so cute?¡± they wondered. However, they soon came to their senses. They thought to themselves, ¡°No. She is that woman¡¯s offspring, and that woman excelled at pretending to be innocent. Perhaps the girl also inherited her mother¡¯s ability and is now ying dumb to deceive us.¡± A whirlwind of emotions raged in Antonio¡¯s eyes. The three young men were about to step forward, but Antonio stopped them. ¡°Listen to what she has to say first.¡± The police chief noticed him and was about to say something when Antonio shook his head, gesturing for him to remain silent. In response, the police chief shut his mouth in confusion. He btedly realized that the child resembled Antonio. The police chief¡¯s eyes lit up in enthusiasm, eager for some juicy gossip. Simrly, Angie noticed Antonio, too. Startled, she looked at Laura with uncertainty. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t have a daddy?¡± Angie wondered, ¡°If she doesn¡¯t have a daddy, then who is this handsome and charming man? Those three young men look so simr to her, too.¡± Laura tearfully nodded and then shook her head again. Antonio narrowed his eyes. ¡°What does that mean?¡± he mused. Laura said, ¡°I do have a daddy.¡± As soon as her adorable voice fell, everyone looked at Antonio. Antonio¡¯s expression was dark. The three brothers snorted and thought, ¡°Here ites. She¡¯s going to try to chimb up the social.dder by using us as her stepping stones.¡± To their surprise, Laura sniffled and said softly, ¡°But Mommy says Daddy doesn¡¯t want me anymore and doesn¡¯t like me at all. So, I don¡¯t want to look for him.¡± Her words were like a bolt from the blue, rendering everyone speechless. Angie wondered where did thate from. 14.07 FII, 19 API The corners of Angie¡¯s mouth twitched as she nced at Antonio subconsciously. ¡°But what if your daddy¡¯s here to pick you up?¡± Laura shook her head and said, ¡°Daddy won¡¯te. Daddy doesn¡¯t know that I exist. Mommy said that Daddy once tried to kill me. If he sees me again, he will try to kill me again.¡± The police officers were shocked. Antonio was confused. The three brothers were puzzled as well. Meanwhile, Louis thought to himself, ¡°What kind of gory drama is this? Should I call the police?¡± Afar speaking the hopped off Avaguera hago antal themast ke kan beving: ¡°Round proe, Nativen aning brand bow! ¡°Wait¡± Angle matinentenly called suux so hen You os Bogotan pour son d?f The erroners she wronend slent wroth the elder Sehpst qome the roatian bowerin minute urre ¡°That¡¯s on the pro hought tiger Hearing the Lmore bondjai? je tu mumle murmurs wat with amor, die gibed an die amalieni lollipery. The and as reingewing v Malin 21 000 so the Mommy sou on few thing den wapension and del Satis ex ding on the one longing him. nt 2000 as mort, Meas keep the an Then, the hewid se toga ming for going home A Wome Laues turned pound and wie auton than a groom The gallow They With an hun lebur gone in indodile in of shorty ogrodu The onlookersoonlitics Bolje lice walcow qurally be they want to the Tation and banghos Laura widened hon ayaw ay madan is the ganent i Sant Trotune by a gr forming in bergegen und de tuk anail coux teresech bin. The Samonin? se do kont ncing at the three goung men behind h09. ???SENST???????Uq??F TH?{At*)A% His listighter was front of high new ? Surprisingly the licable me of Emmrity with the prong girl pontos tocate the Chapter 5 Chapter 5 In the deafeningly silent room, Laura wiped the tears on her face and gathered her strength to smile again, saying,,¡°I can take care of myself. I can cook pasta.¡± After speaking, she hopped off Angie¡¯sp and bowed to her, saying, ¡°Thank you, Madam! I¡¯ll be going home now!¡± ¡°Wait!¡± Angie instinctively called out to her, ¡°You¡¯ve forgotten your snacks!¡± The minute she uttered those words, she felt like banging her head against the wall in frustration. ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± thought Angie. Hearing that, Laura looked at the snacks seriously, and with caution, she picked out the smallest. lollipop. She said in an ingratiating tone, ¡°Madam, I¡¯ll only take this. Mommy told me these things are expensive and she¡¯ll have to sleep on the streets after buying them. Thank you so much. Please keep the rest.¡± Then, she bowed to Angie, saying, ¡°I¡¯m going home to wait for Mommy.¡± Laura turned around and was taken aback to see a group of people at the entrance of the police. station, appearing out of nowhere. They wore formal suits and looked like those powerful adults she saw in television dramas. Laura looked up and met a man¡¯s sharp gaze. With one hand casually in his pocket, he exuded an undeniable air of authority as he gazed coldly at her in silence. The atmosphere suddenly became so tense. The onlookers couldn¡¯t help but swallow nervously as they watched the father and daughter reunite. Laura widened her eyes in astonishment as she gazed at Antonio¡¯s features. Suddenly, tears began. forming in her eyes, and she took small steps toward him. She continued to look up at him before ncing at the three young men behind him. Antonio had mixed feelings. His daughter was in front of him right now. Surprisingly, he felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity with this young girl, possibly because she was his blood rtive. Yet, as this sensation intensified, his countenance grew increasingly grave, and he remained silent. The stiff atmosphere continued until Laura held up the bag of dried pasta timidly. This is for you, Sir.¡± Antonio was stunned. Looking at the unfamiliar and obviously cheap food, he furrowed his brows and asked, ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°Pasta. The little girl smiled brightly as tears trickled down her face. ¡°It¡¯s delicious!¡± She recognized her dad, for he looked exactly like her. Regrettably, she also recalled Lilian¡¯s words about how her dad would dislike her the moment he saw her. However, Laura still yearned to be near her father, even if it was just for a single moment. Laura mustered her courage and stuffed the dried pasta in Antonio¡¯s hand. She gently pinched his fingertips with her dainty hands and looked up at him with admiration, saying, ¡°Sir, your hands are huge.¡± ¡°Just like the other children¡¯s daddies. I¡¯ve finally held my daddy¡¯s hand,¡® she secretly added in her heart. Satisfied, Laura took a step back and bowed to them. ¡°Goodbye, Misters. Goodbye, Sir.¡± After speaking, she toddled away on her tiny legs, her departing figure exuding an air of premature innocence and vulnerability. Antonio couldn¡¯t help but feel a trace ofpassion for her. ¡°Laura Yale.¡± Laura turned around and saw the man standing at the door with an air of elegance, his expression icy. ¡°I suspect you are my daughter. Come with me for a paternity test. If you are¡­¡± His gaze grew somber, and in the presence of everyone¡¯s attention, he said in a low voice, ¡°I will take care of you.¡± Laura¡¯s eyes widened in astonishment, tears instantly streaming down her face. She remained speechless for a long time. ¡°Mommy, you might not know this. After you turn into Queen Giselle, Daddy came to meet me. He¡¯s really handsome, just like a prince. He came to take me with him. Would you be happy for me?¡± Laura thought.. Following Antonio, Laura approached a stylish ck car with a dazzling exterior. Laura pursed her lips timidly. Antonio got into the car first, followed by the three young men. The car felt a bit cramped with everyone inside. After considerable hesitation, she finally lowered her gaze to her dirt¨Cstained dress and shoes, 273 which bore the marks of umted dirt from being unwashed. This was the first time she felt self¨Cconscious about being dirty. Hesitating, Laura stood by the car door and remained silent. Antonio gradually lost his patience. ¡°Get in.¡± His annoyed tone caused her to shudder, and she looked down, tugging at her dress and saying hesitantly, ¡°I¡¯m dirty¡­¡± The three boys looked at her in astonishment as she lowered her head even more. Jasper sneered and said sarcastically, ¡°Why don¡¯t you stay in the trunk then? It¡¯s the perfect ce for you. Hearing this, Laura looked at the trunk with a hint of interest and said, ¡°Well, that works too.¡± Jasper was rendered speechless. He thought to himself, ¡°Sure? What does that even mean?¡± He got angry. ¡°Don¡¯t try to act pitiful in front of us. You think we can¡¯t see through it?!¡± Laura trembled, not understanding why he suddenly got angry. Her eyes turned red, and she shook her head helplessly. ¡°I¨CI didn¡¯t mean to. My mom says I¡¯m dirty, and she doesn¡¯t let me sleep on the bed. She says I¡¯ll dirty her bed. I didn¡¯t mean anything else. Mister, please don¡¯t be angry.¡± All four of them were taken aback. Antonio¡¯s expression turned even uglier. ¡°Your mom doesn¡¯t let you sleep on the bed?¡± Laura nodded in fear. He suddenly felt very angry. Lilian took his money, didn¡¯t have an abortion, gave birth to his child, and she was mistreating the child? Why did she have to give birth and cause trouble for him if she didn¡¯t like the child? His tone became lower. ¡°Get in here! Don¡¯t let me say it a second time!¡± Laura hesitated for a moment and then hurriedly climbed into the car. Her steps were awkward and difficult, and she cautiously sat down on the seat. Once she sat down, a sour stench filled the air. Jasper wrinkled his nose in disgust. ¡°Ms. Yale, don¡¯t you take a bath? You smell terrible!¡± Laura trembled, her voice tinged with self¨Cdoubt. ¡°There¡¯s no hot water at home. I can only wash my face.¡± Her mom didn¡¯t care about her. She only knew how to wash her face and hands. Jasper sneered, ¡°A person like you shouldn¡¯t even be alive! Your mom isn¡¯t a good person, and neither are you!¡± The other two boys also smirked. Laura felt a pang of sadness, but she was used to it. She clutched her dress nervously and didn¡¯t dare to speak, stealing nces at them. Antonio, annoyed, picked up his phone. He felt her eyes on him, and he cast a cold nce her way. Laura trembled under his gaze and quickly lowered her head, feeling like an unwanted little puppy. gaze His frustration grew. Once they reached the hospital, the blood test was done swiftly. He didn¡¯t want to continue being with her, so he sent her directly to the orphanage where she had stayed before. ¡°When the resultse out, I¡¯ll find you.¡± Laura felt anxious, looking up at the tall man. Her intuition told her that her dad didn¡¯t like her. Just like what her mom said, he would only dislike her, not like her, when he saw her. Jasper looked even more annoyed with his arms crossed. He nced down at her and said coldly, ¡°Laura, don¡¯t get too proud now. Don¡¯t go around saying he¡¯s your dad just because you think he is. The results aren¡¯t out yet. Got it?¡± Laura obediently nodded. ¡°Got it.¡°, Sheplied so easily that all four of them exchanged nces. Did she have some tricks up her sleeve? But Antonio was too fed up to bother with her. He turned and got back into the car. Laura stood there in the fading light and suddenly spoke up. ¡°Mr. Smith!¡± All four of them turned to look at her. Their delicate features had an air of aloofness and coldness. She stood under the dim streetmp, looking simr to them, but her worn dress was ipatible with their attire. Between sophistication and destitution, an invisible chasmy. She gazed at him hopefully. ¡°If I¡¯m not your daughter, will I ever see you again? I want to give you a gift; is that okay?¡± Antonio looked at her pleading eyes, didn¡¯t say anything, and got into the car. The paternity test would take seven days. During those seven days, Laura¡¯s situation garnered widespread attention. Many childless couples online wanted to adopt her. The buzz surrounding her only grew stronger. But the orphanage indicated that given Laura¡¯s rtionship with her potential father; they needed to wait for the results of the paternity test to determine whether or not she could be up for adoption. Yet, she believed that the man was her dad. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 She felt it strongly. The orphanage nanny, Grace Mitchell, saw Laura doodling on a greeting card and couldn¡¯t help but chuckle. ¡°Looks like you really want to find your dad, L.¡± Laura used her worn¨Cout crayons to draw, nodding emphatically. ¡°Yeah! I like my dad! That man. must be my dad! He¡¯s so tall and handsome!¡± COMMENT Engrossed in his book, the young boy who was sitting across her nced up at her. Grace nted a kiss on her cheek and said, ¡°Laura, you¡¯ll have a better life ahead. Once the paternity test results are out, you can have a new home.¡± Any home would surely be better than her own mother, the murderer. Grace got up and left to attend to other children, while Laura continued to obediently draw. Suddenly, a chilly voice sounded from across. ¡°They won¡¯t want you.¡± Laura paused and looked up in confusion. She saw a young boy with excellent features, despite being only ten years old. He was slightly taller than his peers and already exhibited the potential for future handsomeness. With one leg propped up and holding a storybook about Cindere, his narrow eyes were cold. ¡°Don¡¯t hold onto hope.¡± She pouted. ¡°No. My dad will definitelye to pick me up. Don¡¯t make fun of me.¡± Zayn Graham arrived at the orphanage two years ago. Rumors had it that he was the illegitimate child of some big wig. His mother had passed away due to illness, and since the big wig didn¡¯t acknowledge him, he was left in the orphanage. Zayn was fierce and could fight. When he arrived, no one dared to speak to him. He was like a ferocious lion, ready to bite anyone who came near. She used to get bullied in the orphanage because she was cute. Whenever Zayn saw her being mistreated, he would step in and fight on her behalf, teaching her to stand up for herself. He protected her too. In the entire orphanage, Zayn was only close to her. When Grace couldn¡¯t handle Zayn, Laura would help ry messages. He would listen impatiently only when Laura was involved. Everyone teased her as a ¡°Boss¡± pet. On the day she was taken away by her mother, Zayn didn¡¯t appear. However, when she returned to the orphanage seven days ago, Zayn was the first to greet her. She liked staying indoors and didn¡¯t enjoy ying outside. Zayn used to prefer ying outside, but for these past seven days, he had been keeping herpany, reading fairytales, and ridiculing the irrationality of princesses in those stories. Chapter 7 He was gentle yet not so gentle. Zayn sat beside her, analyzing with a detached air, ¡°You were taken away by your mother for a year. Did that mane to see you during that time? No, right? He thinks you¡¯re dirty and doesn¡¯t even want to acknowledge you. Even if you are his daughter, he wouldn¡¯t tell the truth.¡± A few boys who entered burst intoughter upon hearing his words. One of them yelled, ¡°Boss, you don¡¯t want Laura to leave, do you? You¡¯re so happy since she came back. You didn¡¯t even eat when she was gone!¡± Zayn¡¯s expression changed, and he grabbed the storybook, hurling it at them. ¡°Get lost!¡± Laura held her brush listlessly, looking at the figure on the greeting card. Her happiness had diminished even further. ¡°Would that happen? Even if the paternity test proves me right, would my father still not acknowledge me?¡± she thought. Antonio stared at the paternity test results with a dark expression. The test showed a 99.9991% likelihood of a paternal rtionship. Laura was his biological daughter. The three sons had varying degrees of irritation upon seeing the report. Jasper¡¯s reaction was the strongest. ¡°I don¡¯t agree! Even if she¡¯s truly rted to us, I still won¡¯t agree. She has no right to be part of our family! We can¡¯t ept her. With her mother¡¯s rotten genes, who knows if she¡¯ll end up harming our mom in the future?¡± The other two brothers remained silent, looking at Antonio in silence. Their expressions conveyed their sentiments. They also didn¡¯t want to acknowledge Laura. They would cherish her if she was the daughter of their mother. But Laura wasn¡¯t. Her birth wasn¡¯t weed by their family. She was Lilian¡¯s daughter. Antonio pondered for a moment before discarding the paper into the bin. For the past seven days, he had been incredibly busy. But whenever he had a moment to spare, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder. What if Laura really was his daughter? Would he raise her or not? Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Spending that night with Lilian had already hurt Winnie¡¯s feelings, but she was kind¨Chearted and hadn¡¯t pursued the matter further. She hadn¡¯t brought it up again over the years. But if he were to tell her that on that night, Lilian had gotten pregnant with a child and given birth to a daughter, would Winnie be able to ept it? She was so delicate. After contemting for a moment, he made a decision. ¡°I won¡¯t acknowledge her.¡± His brothers instantly wore pleased expressions. Jasper was practically jumping for joy. ¡°Then I¡¯ll go tell her, so she won¡¯t have any illusions about us anymore! I can¡¯t wait to see her reaction when she finds out about the results, ha¨Cha!¡± With that, he turned and left. Antonio remained silent for a moment before speaking. ¡°I¡¯ll go too.¡± The other boys were taken aback, but they didn¡¯t object and readily agreed. In the orphanage, Laura finally finished the greeting card for Antonio.. Today marked the eighth day. The gift she had prepared could finally be sent out today! Suddenly, a loud voice came from outside. ¡°Laura! Your father is here to see you!¡± Excitement surged through her as she jumped up from her chair and rushed to the door. Parked at a distance was a familiar car and a person stood at the entrance of the orphanage. It was Jasper. He held thetest iPhone in his hand, impatiently scrolling through it. Looking up, he saw Laura running towards him, followed by a group of curious kids. They were all wondering if Laura was going to have a father from now on. He scowled in disgust. They were like little trash having a meeting with him. Laura saw him, and he seemed to shine radiantly in her eyes. She stopped in front of him and cautiously said, ¡°Hello, Mister.¡± Herrge eyes blinked, filled with anticipation. Jasper¡¯s expression eased a bit upon seeing her. He had to admit that among kids her age, she was quite good¨Clooking. He spoke in a deep voice. ¡°The results are out.¡± Laura nervously swallowed and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re not my father¡¯s daughter.¡± Jasper¡¯s eyes darkened, and he said bluntly. ¡°Don¡¯t try to get involved with him anymore.¡± His words hit like a blow, leaving Laura stunned. All her hopes crumbled, leaving her uncertain as Laura asked, ¡°I¡¯m not Mr. Smith¡¯s child?¡± ¡°Correct, you¡¯re not.¡± Jasper coldly stared at her. ¡°Don¡¯t go around telling people you have a father from now on.¡± The kids behind them burst intoughter, rolling on the ground exaggeratedly. ¡°Ha¨Cha, Laura has no father! Laura has no father!¡± ¡°Laura¡¯s bragging!¡± ¡°Bragging!¡± ¡°Your dad¡¯s dead, Laural¡± Jasper retorted angrily, ¡°Your dad¡¯s the one who¡¯s dead!¡± The kids were taken aback for a moment before making faces and running away. ¡°Our dad was dead, to begin with!¡± He was very disgusted.. What good kids coulde from a ce like this! Laura was just one of these kids and nothing special! Laura was still baffled, but one thought lingered in her mind. ¡°Mister, wait for me. I¡¯ll get the gift.¡± She ran back with her short legs, Jasper watched for a moment with a furrowed brow, then turned and got into his car. Inside the car, Antonio and the other two brothers remained silent, gazing at Jasper. After a moment of hesitation, Jasper said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± Laura soon dashed to the entrance with the greeting card in hand, only to find that the ck car had already left. She shouted, ¡°Mister!¡± There was no response. She squeezed through the door and ran out, holding the card high, ¡°Mister! Mister! Wait for me!¡± The car sped toward the corner, with Laura following behind, crying and yelling, ¡°Mister, don¡¯t leave! Mister, don¡¯t leave!¡± Jasper¡¯s expression darkened as, he inadvertently looked back, only to see Laura¡¯s small figure running behind the car¡­ ¡°Stop the car!¡± Chapter 9 Antonio lifted his head with a gloomy expression just as Jasper got out of the car and hurried toward Laura. Along the road¨Clined with sycamore trees, Laura ran while crying and wiping her tears, but suddenly tripped and fell to the ground. Jasper¡¯s breath caught, and he rushed to her side. He was about to help her up, but Laura had. already gotten up on her own. Her hands and knees were scraped and bloody in an instant. But she didn¡¯t cry out in pain. Standing on tiptoe and blinking back tears, she handed the greeting card to him with trembling hands. ¡°Mister, this is my gift for you.¡± The other brothers and Antonio got out of the car, looking at her with mixed emotions. Sniffling, Laura pointed to the flowers on the pink card. ¡°This is a ribbon bow, and this is a little. star. It¡¯s a beautiful card that I got for doing work for Ms. Mitchell. Isn¡¯t it pretty?¡± No, it wasn¡¯t beautiful. In fact, it was quite tacky. This was the worst gift Jasper had ever received in his life. He didn¡¯t know what to say, but she earnestly urged, ¡°Open it, Mister¡± Jasper opened the card, and what he saw made him pause. It was a drawing. The drawing depicted a blue sky, white clouds, and four people standing in order of height. Antonio and the other two sons walked over, listening intently as Laura softly introduced, ¡°This is Mr. Smith, this is Big Mister, Second Mister, and Third Mister.¡± She pointed to the little dog on the ground. ¡°This is the dog that protects all of you.¡± ¡°I even drew crowns for you!¡± Laura was beaming. ¡°Mr. Smith, you¡¯re the king, and you boys are the princes!¡± Her wound was still bleeding, yet her smile remained radiant. ¡°It¡¯s just that the space is too small, and there¡¯s no space to draw a castle.¡± Antonio¡¯s heart held a whirlwind of emotions, and there was a heavy stone weighing on his chest. ¡°Laura, you¡¯re not my daughter. Aren¡¯t you sad?¡± ¡°No.¡± Laura smiled, shaking her head. Her beautiful eyes gazed at him eagerly. ¡°I know that my Chapter 9 daddy won¡¯te, but Mr. Smith, you came. I¡¯m happy. It¡¯s just that we¡¯re not fated for each other. I¡¯m not your daughter, and I¡¯ve wasted your time.¡± Antonio inexplicably felt a pang in his heart. ¡°Do you really understand fates ¡°Yep!¡± Laura nodded. ¡°Ms. Mitchell said that as long as there¡¯s fate, our new mommy and daddy wille. So we just have to wait for our new mommy and daddy toe. They¡¯re on their way!¡± Just then, Grace stormed out of the orphanage, her anger evident. ¡°Laura! Who allowed you to leave? Aren¡¯t you afraid of getting hit by a car?¡± Only then did Grace notice the Smith family. Antonio¡¯s face turned dark in an instant. ¡°How dare you scold¨Cher?¡± Grace was taken aback and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Laura quickly spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t me Ms. Mitchell! Ms. Mitchell gave me the card!¡± With that, she limped over to Grace, ¡°Ms. Mitchell, let¡¯s back.¡± Grace turned pale with fright and held onto Laura, not daring to look back. Laura waved to them. ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Smith! Goodbye, Misters!¡± She smiled brightly, but as she turned her head, her face fell, and she bit her lip to hold back her tears.. Frowning, Grace asked, ¡°Why are you crying?¡± Laura didn¡¯t respond, allowing herself to be led away by Grace. Almost involuntarily, Antonio followed. Just as they were about to step into the orphanage, the other kids swarmed around Laura and ran circles around Grace. ¡°Laura doesn¡¯t have a daddy anymore! She doesn¡¯t have a daddy anymore!¡± Laura¡¯s lips trembled. Unable to hold back any longer, she broke into loud sobs. Grace looked helpless. ¡°Does your wound hurt a lot?¡± Laura shook her head, crying out, ¡°Mr. Smith isn¡¯t my daddy! I¡¯ll never have a daddy again!¡± Chapter 10 Chapter 10 Grace was heartbroken seeing Laura cry. She consoled her with tears in her eyes, ¡°Sweetheart, don¡¯t cry. You¡¯ll have a new daddy in the future, and a good one this time! Okay?¡± Laura wasn¡¯tforted at all, and between sobs, she managed to say, ¡°But¡­ But I really like Mr. Smith¡­¡± Antonio clenched his fists, suppressing his emotions. Grace sighed upon hearing Laura¡¯s words. She was an adult, so she couldn¡¯t see through it. Those two were like carbon copies of each other. But Antonio was a rich man driving a luxury car. The value of his clothes could have clothed and fed a child for a year. How could he not be her real father? Not acknowledging her was just an act! After all, he already had three sons. Laura¡¯s mother was really heartless. She gave birth to a child whose father didn¡¯t want her. Wasn¡¯t this child destined for hardship? ¡°Alright, alright, don¡¯t cry. I¡¯ll sing you to sleep and find a new daddy for you! I¡¯ll call the new daddy and ask him toe pick you up, alright?¡± Laura was taken indoors. Antonio¡¯s face was gloomy, and suddenly, a dark figure darted toward him, hitting him on the shoulder. He frowned and saw a very handsome boy standing there, holding a stone in his hand. ¡°You lied to her, didn¡¯t you? She¡¯s your real daughter, isn¡¯t she?¡± Antonio was stunned and didn¡¯t answer. Zayn¡¯s eyes held a maturity beyond his years as he looked at the three boys behind Antonio with disdain. ¡°You obviously don¡¯tck anything in your lives. Even if you gave her the cheapest meals, it would be enough. Why do you let her continue to be an orphan?¡± Antonio stared at him, pondering his question. Indeed, why let her continue to be an orphan? He believed that it was because he didn¡¯t allow her birth. He didn¡¯t like her either. 14.39 FIL, 19 Apr Jasper stepped forward angrily. ¡°It¡¯s none of your business!¡± ¡°Exactly, it¡¯s none of my business. But Laura is under my protection. She¡¯s my little underling¡± Zayn evaluated the stone in his hand and red at Antonio with intensity. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful. Aren¡¯t you worried that she might be in danger as she grows up?¡± person He had known from a young age that a who looked good, would face tremendous danger if they were not powerful enough. But did the adults not know about these things? Antonio¡¯s expression changed slightly as if Zayn had reminded him of something. Indeed. Laura was an exceptionally beautiful individual, with limitless potential as she grew older. But if she were an orphan, she would have to face the dangers of the opposite as she was adopted and as she grew up. The more he thought about it, the darker his face became. Zayn sneered, ¡°You¡¯re not moved at all by this? It seems that rich people like you aren¡¯t good people after all.¡± He casually threw the stone to the ground and arrogantly left. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it. Laura is my little underling. I¡¯ll look out for her. If any of you dare toe near her again¡­¡± He looked back coldly. ¡°I won¡¯t spare you.¡± Jasper¡¯s face turned grim as he stared at Zayn, who was getting further away. ¡°I think he might be the most dangerous person for Laura as she grows up.¡± Just as he finished speaking, a car suddenly, pulled up at the entrance of the orphanage. A man holding a phone got out of the car, excitedly eximing, ¡°Everyone who¡¯s watching the live- streaming channel! I¡¯m now at the entrance of the orphanage! Keep giving me likes until we reach a hundred thousand! I¡¯m here to adopt L!¡± The live¨Cstreaming channel was quite popr, especially since Laura had be a recent inte sensation. Many people were following the story of this poor child. Antonio¡¯s expression changed, and he scowled at the man with the phone. But following closely were more and more cars, each pulling up at the entrance. Several people were holding phones, smiling brightly into the camera. ¡°Today, I¡¯m here to adopt L!¡± A woman held up her phone and said, ¡°Look! I brought my son and daughter with me. We¡¯re nning to make L our youngest family member! Kids, do you wee L?¡± She signaled to her children. The two children smiled brightly. ¡°Wee, L! We¡¯re here to take you home!¡± Chapter 11 Jasper¡¯s expression changed as he felt something was off, ¡°Are all these people here to adopt Laura?¡± There were too many of them! Laura might be good¨Clooking, but this was getting excessive. Xander picked up his phone and checked, and then smirked when he saw the trending topic on Twitter. They¡¯re not here to adopt Laura; they¡¯re here for the money.¡± Laura¡¯s appearance had caught the attention of a highly acimed director, who had posted on Twitter asking for her contact information. He wanted her to y the role of the male lead¡¯s. daughter in a disaster film he was preparing. All Hestryans knew how influential this director was. The male lead was also a winner of numerous awards. If Laura started out alongside the best actor, there was no limit to her future. Now, her name was trending all over the inte. Laura wasn¡¯t just a pitiful little girl; she was also an emerging child star and a massive cash cow! Jasper was fuming. ¡°If they can¡¯t adopt her, they shouldn¡¯t pretend to! Adopting her for money and taking her home¡­ Who knows if they¡¯ll treat her well!¡± Antonio watched as this group of people entered the orphanage with selfie sticks, acting like tourists as they smiled at the cameras. His eyes narrowed, and suddenly, he walked in. His three sons were bewildered. ¡°Dad? What are you doing?¡± His tone was resolute. ¡°Bringing her back home.¡± Laura sat in Grace¡¯sp, sobbing uncontrobly, her head spinning.. She couldn¡¯t understand why she wasn¡¯t Antonio¡¯s daughter. She thought, ¡°I didn¡¯t make a mistake, but why am I not his daughter?¡± She couldn¡¯t figure it out. ¡°Did my mother lie to me?¡± she thought. Grace wiped away her tears and snot with tissues, patiently consoling her, ¡°Alright, alright, L, stop crying. You¡¯re breaking my heart with your tears. I know you¡¯re sad now, but if you cry like this, you won¡¯t look pretty anymore.¡± Chapter II Laura was heartbroken, her chest aching and making it hard for her to breathe. Laura looked up at Grace with a pitiful expression. ¡°Ms. Mitchell, I will never have a daddy again, right?¡± Grace¡¯s expression changed, and she held Laura¡¯s hand. ¡°How can that be? You¡¯re the smartest child in our orphanage, and smarter than all the other kidsbined. You will have a daddy who is even better than this one. Alright?¡± Laura wasn¡¯tforted. So what if there was a better one? She just liked that man. He looked exactly like her. Seeing Laura fall silent, Grace knew she wasn¡¯t making her feel better. She was about to say more when the hallway suddenly erupted with noise. ¡°Everyone from the live¨Cstreaming channel, I¡¯m in the hallway now. Let¡¯s go find L, okay?¡± Laura blinked and looked toward the door, where people holding selfie sticks were looking around. Suddenly, someone locked eyes with her. ¡°Found her!¡± Startled, she tried to get up, but the adults hurried over, filming her with their phones. ¡°Oh my goodness, darling! You must be Laura! You¡¯re even more beautiful in person than in the pictures. You¡¯re stunning!¡± While they were saying these words, they didn¡¯t really look at her. They were just looking at the image of her inside their live¨Cstreaming channel. Laura was baffled, ncing at Grace with a sense of fear. Grace immediately shielded her and spoke with caution. ¡°Where did you alle from? Who let you in? Do you not understand the rules? No filming is allowed here. Turn off your livestream. immediately!¡± The live streamer exchanged nces, then put on smiles. ¡°What are you doing, Ms. Mitchell? We¡¯re here to adopt this child. We¡¯re just seeing which one of us has a connection with her so we can take her home and take care of her. She¡¯s an orphan, isn¡¯t she?¡± Laura¡¯s heart skipped a beat at their words. ¡°They¡¯re here to adopt me?¡± she mused. She looked at the shrewd¨Clooking adults, as well as the unfriendly older siblings. She shook her 14:59 Fri, 19 Apr head in resistance. ¡°I don¡¯t want this! They¡¯re not good people!¡± she thought. Chapter 12 Grace sensed Laura¡¯s resistance and earnestly lied, ¡°Laura is currently undergoing a DNA test with her grandparents, It¡¯s very likely that her grandma and grandpa wille to pick her up. So please turn off your livestream quickly. If you have any questions, we can discuss them outside, away from the child.¡± The live streamers smirked, their expressions mocking. A man stepped forward and forcefully pushed Grace aside! Caught off guard, she fell out of the camera¡¯s frame. Laura was immediately surrounded, her escape blocked. She recoiled in fear. ¡°Don¡¯te near me!¡± But the male live streamer smirked as he appraised her, making her ufortable. ¡°L, you¡¯re truly beautiful. Are you still an orphan? Will your familye to get you at all? Another female live streamer got close to Laura, holding up her phone. ¡°L, in our family, you¡¯ll have an older brother and an older sister. If youe to us, you¡¯ll be the youngest child in our family. I will definitely dote on you! Do you know that a famous director has taken an interest in you? You could be a big star in the future! I will take care of you and be by your side as you grow into a child star. Wouldn¡¯t that be wonderful?¡± A man pushed the woman aside, looking disdainful. ¡°You¡¯re shameless for saying that. Are you even genuinely interested in adopting Laura? Or are you just after her potential earnings? You¡¯re turning her into a child star and your personal cash cow, right?¡± He aimed his phone at Laura, speaking firmly. ¡°Laura, let me tell you, if you choose me, I will wholeheartedly cherish you as my own daughter. I¡¯ve learned a lot about this and know that only those who can¡¯t conceive can adopt. You¡¯ll soon be my daughter!¡± But for all their words, they didn¡¯t really see her. They were only looking into their phones, and their gazes didn¡¯t even fall on her real face. Other live streamers got unhappy and retorted at the man, ¡°Hey, what do you mean by ¡®your daughter¡®? We¡¯re here too! You can¡¯t make us leave empty¨Chanded, right? We want to adopt her as well!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t bother fighting with me for her. My family¡¯s situation is the best. I can afford to take care of her. She¡¯s going to be an artist in the future! I can provide piano and dance lessons for her, Can any of you do that?¡± They argued more and more loudly, and even resorted to physical violence! Laura watched in shock, her understanding growing clearer. 14:59 Fri, 19 Apr These people weren¡¯t here to genuinely adopt her. They didn¡¯t truly want to be her mom and dad! ¡°I don¡¯t want this!¡± she thought. Grace was trapped outside and couldn¡¯t get in. ¡°Stop it! Don¡¯t make a scene. Adoption of a child has strict regtions, and she¡¯s not something you can just take away like this. Please leave now! You¡¯re scaring the child!¡± The adults ignored her, continuously thrusting their phones toward Laura. ¡°Laura, listen to me! Choose me! In my house, though there¡¯s an older boy, but don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ve always wanted a second child. As long as youe to my house, I¡¯ll teach you everything. Piano, dance¡­ I can give you. lessons for everything a girl can learn. You could be a big star and make a lot of money!¡± The female live streamer pushed him aside. ¡°You¡¯re utterly shameless! Look at me, L. I¡¯m so beautiful. My family is wealthy, and I have a house and cars. Even when you¡¯re working, I will personally be with you. Choose me! I genuinely care for you!¡± ¡°No, no, no! Choose me! Choose me!¡± Laura was trapped in the middle, her face pale. She looked at these sinister faces, her eyes wide. with fear. In a faint voice, she asked, ¡°Are you adopting me for money?¡± Chapter 13 Laura asked softly. Her words went unnoticed by the adults who were too busy arguing, their voices growing louder. The audience on the live¨Cstreaming channel couldn¡¯t bear to watch anymore. [You scared her! Are you all out of your minds?] [Look at yourselves! Do you look like you¡¯re trying to adopt a child now? No! You¡¯re trying to bring home a money¨Cmaking machine!] [Enough! Get out of there and stop this!] [There are clear rules set by the country for adoption! The conditions are very strict! I don¡¯t know what those live streamers with children are doing there. Aren¡¯t they just trying to ride on the poprity? How could they do this in front of that child? She has already lost her parents!] [My heart aches for Laura! Protect her quickly!] [Even L asked if you¡¯re adopting her for money! Aren¡¯t you ashamed?] [Get lost!] [As a child¡¯s mother, I really can¡¯t stand this. Leave quickly. Do you genuinely want what¡¯s best for the child? Or are you just satisfying your selfish desires?] Meanwhile, ¡°Unscrupulous Live Streamers Fighting for Laura] became a trending topic. The apanying video showed edited clips of the live streamers shamelessly making promises and revealing their ugly intentions as they fought over a child. Moreover, it showed Laura appearing bewildered, her expression questioning if their motives were solely for money. It was heart¨Cwrenching to watch. The apanying caption read: [What do these adults really want to give her? Do they want to give her a bright and promising future, or do they want a carefree life provided by this child?] Netizens were also furious. [Just ban these live streamers already! They don¡¯t care about anything for the sake of publicity! They don¡¯t even care about their reputation anymore! A child has just lost her mother, and they¡¯re causing such a ruckus in front of her!] [Didn¡¯t they say that L had already undergone a paternity test? How can there still be peopleing in to adopt her? What are the orphanage staff doing? How could they let this group of live streamers in?] [Did you not see them pushing out the staff from the orphanage? She can¡¯t even enter! These people are like robbers. They¡¯ve trapped L deep inside.] [I feel so sorry for Laura! These people clearly don¡¯t genuinely care for her! They¡¯re just after her poprity!] Even the director who had taken an interest in Laura¡¯s case shared the video with a scathingment. !! hope those who want to adopt a child genuinely wish to provide a loving home. If it¡¯s for personal gain, I¡¯d rather give up casting this child in the role than let her be a tool for adults to make money!] The heated discussion on both sides continued to escte. The livements about the live streamers gradually became unbearable to watch. The livements were all cursing and telling the live streamers to leave, but as the publicity increased, some live streamers became even more frantic and fanatical, vehemently defending themselves. ¡°I genuinely have good intentions for L. I¡¯ve said it before, I am the only one among us who is unable to have children, and I¡¯ve decided not to have any more children in the future. Adopting L is enough for me!¡± The livements read: [Go to hell!] [Get out of there! You¡¯d all better get out of there now, or I¡¯ll report your livestream ounts and get them banned!] [Guys, let¡¯s report them together!] Seeing that the situation was bad, a few live streamers could only grab Laura and force her to say nice for them. ¡°Come on. L, tell us. Do you think we¡¯re making you ufortable? We really want to adopt you. You don¡¯t have any family now. You are an orphan. You should be happy!¡± Laura was confused. ¡°Happy?¡± she mused. She was not happy at all. How could she be happy after losing her favorite Mr. Smith? She looked at Grace who was trapped outside and refused fiercely. ¡°I don¡¯t need you. Please leave!¡± 0 Chapter 14 hapter 14 The adults were taken aback, bing even more displeased. ¡°Hey, what do you mean? We genuinely have your best interests at heart. How can you ask us to leave?¡± She remained calm and resolute. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be adopted right now! I don¡¯t want any of you to adopt me either!¡± The adults widened their eyes in disbelief. ¡°What right do you have to choose not to be adopted by us? Aren¡¯t you just an orphan?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Nowadays, can orphans choose their own parents? It¡¯s already good that someone wants to adopt you. Do you think you¡¯re all that just because you¡¯re all that just because you have some poprity? What¡¯s wrong with you, kid?¡± s in surprise. ¡°It¡¯s Laura widened her you whock manners!¡± Frustration made her chest rise and fall, and she tried to stand up to move away from them. But the adults aggressively blocked her path. ¡°Wait, you haven¡¯t heard us out yet! We genuinely want what¡¯s best for you!¡± As Laura tried to stand, she lost her bnce and ended up falling onto the ground. A dull ache spread from her buttocks. Grace eximed, ¡°Laura, did you hurt yourself from that fall?¡± Laura endured the pain and patted her own buttocks. She was about to get up when several pairs of hands reached out toward her. ¡°Come, take my hand!¡± ¡°Hold onto mine! Hold onto mine!¡± She wrinkled her nose in further aversion. She didn¡¯t want them touching her. She hated these people! In that instant, a dark figure suddenly darted forward, prying their hands open An angry and strong voice followed. ¡°Get lost, you bunch of monsters!¡± Laura raised her head in astonishment, locking eyes with the smoothly defined jawline of Zayn. He held her tightly, like a wolfling, and stared at the adults menacingly. The tone in the live¨Cstreaming channel shifted abruptly. [Oh my gosh; her childhood sweetheart descends out of nowhere!] [The handsome young man is so charming, I like him!] [Ah, I was really angry at first, but how did I suddenly fall for him? It¡¯s so strangel] [The young man is so good¨Clooking! He is such boyfriend material!] Laura looked at Zayn in shock ¡°Zayn, what are you doing here?¡± The live streamers quickly reacted and scrutinized Zayn from head to toe. ¡°Who are you, kid? What right do you have to interfere? We can do whatever we want. We¡¯ll decide what we want to do with her. You can step aside! Without hesitation, Zayn turned to the door and shouted, ¡°Get something to hit them and kick them out!¡± The live streamers were taken aback, and then they saw a few boys standing behind them, eyeing them like wolves. The boys grabbed books and started throwing them at the live streamers. ¡°Get out of here!¡± ¡°Don¡¯te near us!¡± ¡°Go away!¡± The adults were caught off guard, stumbling back and finally creating a path. They panicked even more. ¡°What are you kids doing? Have you lost your mind? We¡¯re here to adopt a child. How can you treat us adults like this without any manners?¡± Zayn reprimanded angrily, ¡°Manners? You¡¯re looking for manners at an orphanage? What about you? You barged in out of nowhere, ignoring the rules and getting too close to Laura. Where are your manners?¡± He held onto Laura¡¯s hand tightly like a steadfast mountain, not even trembling. Laura¡¯s eyes gleamed. Zayn¡­ He really was the coolest! One female live streamer shouted as she approached, ¡°You¡¯re such an impolite child. Let me tell you; I¡¯ve recorded all of this. I can see your face.¡± [Madam, are you really in a position to talk about manners? How could you have the nerve?] [Idiot!] Zayn¡¯s eyes were full of determination as he faced the camera directly Laura is under my protection. I will stand up for her! Your video recording doesn¡¯t scare the He grabbed the Cindere book from the table and fiercely hurled it at the fema Chapter 15 Chapter 15 The live¨Cstreaming channel instantly exploded. [Gosh! That boy is shocking!¡°] [He just said Laura¡¯is under his protection! Ah, ah, ah! What a bittersweet story! I feel like I¡¯m witnessing a real¨Clife drama right before my eyes. Isn¡¯t this just like the protagonists during their childhood?] [I actually find a young boy handsome! I¡¯m in! Maybe I should take better care of myself. I¡¯m willing to wait a few more years for you to grow up!] [Me too! I¡¯m willing to wait for you!] [Ha¨Cha, girls, please stop! He¡¯s still a kid after all!] [He belongs to Laura! No one is allowed to snatch him away!] The livestream trending topic surged again with the title: [Laura is under my protection!] The video showed Zayn confidently facing the live streamers and calling over a group of his little followers to pelt these live streamers. [Ha¨Cha, isn¡¯t this the ending of a feel¨Cgood story? I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m witnessing a satisfying ending acted by a group of kids!] [What¡¯s this story about a domineering young man and his adorable little girlfriend? I can¡¯t handle it! I¡¯m sold! Can I witness them being together in my lifetime?] [He¡¯s so brave! His body isn¡¯t even trembling, and his eyes are like those of a wolfling! Fantastic!] [I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m envious of a little girl!] [I¡¯m addicted to them! Laura might have had a tough life, but she¡¯s really amazing. She¡¯s brave, fights back, and has a boy willing to help her by her side!] [Go for it, handsome young man! Protect your future wife well!] More and more people flooded into the live¨Cstreaming channel, all praising Laura and Zayn. Antonio remained in the corner, observing quietly. He watched as Zayn protected his daughter like a wolfling, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had the urge to step forward, but he restrained himself. There was a livestream, and he didn¡¯t want to reveal himself. He exchanged a meaningful nce with the dean. The dean of the orphanage entered the room and announced loudly, ¡°That¡¯s enough. I¡¯ve just received news that Laura¡¯s family is on their way here. They wille to take Laura home. So, I suggest you all leave now and avoid making me call the police.¡± The expressions of the live streamers changed suddenly, not expecting this turn of events. Yet, the live¨Cstreaming channel was filled with cheers. [Great!] [This is an even better oue!] [Ha¨Cha, this is so satisfying!] [What are you waiting for? Get out of there!] They frowned with disgust and muttered, ¡°What is this nonsense? They wanted us to adopt her? We¡¯re not interested in adopting her. There¡¯s no need to put on a show!¡± ¡°Can orphans even set their own values?¡± they thought angrily. They all left, casting resentful nces at Laura before departing. Zayn held Laura¡¯s hand tightly, watching the live streamers as they walked away. As they left, the room quickly quieted down. What was once akin to a bustling marketce returned to being a peaceful ssroom. Laura let out a sigh of relief and gratefully looked at the dean, saying in her sweet voice, ¡°Thank you for helping.¡± Dean snorted and chuckled. ¡°Why are you thanking me? I was telling the truth. Your family hase to take you away.¡± She blinked in surprise, and Zayn mirrored her reaction. ¡°Who is that?¡± Antonio¡¯s voice rang out. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± When Laura heard this familiar voice, her heart skipped a beat as she turned to look in the direction of the sound. Antonio strode in with amanding presence, apanied by his three sons. In a well¨Ctailored suit that contrasted with the slightly outdated style of the orphanage, he fixated his sharp eyes on Laura, seeming to pierce through her heart. ¡°Laura, I know your maternal uncle, who is your mother¡¯s brother. He¡¯ll take you home.¡± Antonio paused for a moment before continuing, ¡°From now on, you¡¯ll have a home.¡± 15:00 Fri, 19 Apr Chapter 16 Laura¡¯s eves widened in disbelief. Did this mean she had a home now? Laura nervously clutched the hem of her dress and spoke with uncertainty. ¡°Although I¡¯m not your child, you¡¯re still bringing me to meet my uncle?¡± Antonio¡¯s eyebrows twitched faintly, barely noticeable, as he averted his gaze with a touch of guilt. ¡°Yes, your uncle will give you a ce to live. You¡¯re no longer an orphan.¡± Laura gazed at him nkly, unable to utter a word. Grace, on the other hand, cried with tears of joy and embraced her tightly. ¡°L, this is great! You¡¯ve finally found yourself a home. Make sure to take good care of yourself when this time. Please, please don¡¯te back here again!¡± Laura blinked, still unable to understand the situation. ¡°I now have a family where I can see Mr. Smith?¡± she thought. you go back Laura¡¯s eyes suddenly brightened with excitement, and she couldn¡¯t suppress a delighted smile. Yet, she swiftly concealed it, anxious that Antonio might perceive her ascent. Nevertheless, she was still happy. Antonio swept his cold gaze over her, initially not intending to make eye contact. However, a sudden warmth bloomed in his heart as he witnessed her reaction, and the tension instantly dissipated. It felt as if the snow had melted and spring had arrived, with flowers blooming in abundance. Jasper and the others wore solemn expressions but couldn¡¯t say much, given their father¡¯s decision. They could only prepare to wee their half¨Csister into their home. Zayn quietly departed without a word. No one noticed him when he left. The boys trailed behind him and felt sorry for him when they saw him like this. ¡°Boss, since you like Laura so much, why don¡¯t you stop her from leaving? Why not stay by her side until she leaves?¡± Another boy scratched his head and said, ¡°That¡¯s right. You can¡¯t just show up whenever Laura gets into trouble and leave once she¡¯s fine. You two are good friends, so you should¡­ share good food get beaten up together.¡± and Another one of Zayn¡¯spanions rolled his eyes. ¡°It¡¯s called sharing joys and sorrows and 15:00 Fri, 19 Apr enduring hardships together. Can you not spout nonsense, you uncultured idiot?¡± With a trace of hostility in his eyes, Zayn sat on the slide gloomily. ¡°All of you, leave. Stop lingering around me. It¡¯s annoying.¡± The young boys¡® expressions changed in fear, and they dared not say another word. They quickly turned around and left. Inside, Laura remained lost in a daze. She turned around and nced into the ssroom. Jasper¡¯s asional nces in her direction and her two other brothers, who seemed uninterested in her presence, made her feel somewhat disheartened. ¡°Where is Zayn?¡± she asked. Grace thought about it and shook her head, saying, ¡°I have no idea. That brat might have gone somewhere to sulk. When your biological mother took you awayst time, he didn¡¯t eat for days but got over it after a while.¡± Laura frowned as she turned around and ran outside. Grace immediately called out after her, ¡®L! Where are you going?¡± Putting down his phone, Jasper looked at Laura¡¯s retreating figure gloomily. He then took long strides and went after her. Laura noticed Zayn sitting on the slide. Seated solitarily on the slide tform, he gazed contemtively into the distance. The sunlight enveloped his entire form, creating a fuzzy golden halo around him. He looked warm and lonely at the same time. She felt inexplicably sad. ¡°Zayn.¡± Zayn¡¯s body stiffened as he heard her gentle voice. He nced sideways. ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Laura frowned. She didn¡¯t know why Zayn always made a fuss when she had to leave. Softly, she uttered, ¡°I want to thank you. Thank you for saving me. You were so cool just now, just like Ultraman.¡± Zayn¡¯s brows twitched as his irritation grew. ¡°What bullshit. If only I really were Ultraman.¡± She sighed at his words. ¡°Don¡¯t curse, or Ms. Mitchell will scold you again.¡± Zayn furrowed his brows and turned around, looking down at her from the higher tform, his tone irritable. ¡°I¡¯m not afraid of her scolding! I¡¯m not afraid of anything. I fear nothing in the word!¡± Laura said, ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you bid me goodbye? Why do you always hide away whenever we had. to part?¡± Zayn paused, stumped by her question, and his face fell.. eyes. It felt as if a tiny part of his heart had copsed,pletely crumbling away in his ¡°It¡¯s none of your business,¡± he said before turning away. ¡°I don¡¯t want to bid you farewell.¡± Chapter 17 hapter 17 Laura lowered her eyes in disappointment, looked at Zayn, and left without saying anything. Zayn stopped breathing momentarily and saw her walking toward the orphanage with her short legs. He suddenly slid down the stairs. ¡°Wait!¡± Laura paused, looked back at him, and was suddenly held in Zayn¡¯s arms. She was stunned and asked, ¡°Zayn?¡± This was the first time Zayn had hugged her. Zayn shut his eyes. A lump formed in his throat, and he uttered with much difficulty, ¡°Listen to me. The life of rich people is not as easy as you imagined. Although they¡¯re adopting you, they may not really care about you. You have to take good care of yourself. If someone bullies you, you will fight back ording to what I taught you. Learn what they want you to learn. You should learn the best skills such as piano, dance, French, and everything they want you to learn. You are different from your mother. You can live a better life than your mother because you are smart. When you grow up and be strong, there is no need to care about whether the people around you love us or not. We don¡¯t have to rely on them, okay?¡± Laura was befuddled but remembered everything he said. But she suddenly felt sad again. She reached out and hugged him. ¡°Will we meet again?¡± She liked Zayn the most. Zayn frowned, and there seemed to be a surge of mist in his eyes. He nodded dully. ¡°Yes. I will try my best to work hard. Let¡¯s meet at the top.¡± Laura looked up at him and asked, ¡°How far is the top?¡± Zayn was stunned and quickly turned his head away. ¡°Go find your brother.¡± He didn¡¯t answer. Laura sniffled and finally hugged Zayn tightly in reluctance. She didn¡¯t say anything but held his thin body tightly. Zayn¡¯s lips were trembling and buried in her neck. Then, he pushed her away cruelly. ¡°Go!¡± Tears streamed down her face. Laura didn¡¯t say anything more and turned around to leave. 15:00 Fri, 19 Apr Jasper stood in the corner and saw that scene. Laura didn¡¯t look back because she was crying. Therefore, she didn¡¯t see Zayn watching her cry silently. He snorted coldly and thought, ¡°Look at this. I¡¯ve said this before. He¡¯s the most dangerous man. that will stop Laura from progressing in life in the future. He¡¯s such an unpleasant kid. Fortunately, he¡¯s just an orphan. We¡¯ll never see him again.¡± After going through the procedures, Laura said goodbye to everyone in Grace¡¯s arms. At the farewell ceremony, Zayn still didn¡¯t show up. Holding her small package, Laura followed Jasper and looked back at the orphanage. Grace waved at her with tears in her eyes and said, ¡°L! Don¡¯te back!¡± She looked at the four tall figures with tears in her eyes and was a little dazed, thinking, ¡°Am I really noting back?¡± She was reluctant to leave. In the end, she still didn¡¯t see Zayn seeing her off. Zayn was huddled in the corner, nkly watching Laura get into the extremely beautiful Maybach MPV and disappear from his sight. His whole heart felt empty, and he looked around, Laura was no longer by his side. The girl who timidly poked her head out from the crowd and loved to cry from the moment she saw him was no longer by his side. Laura who would secretly poke his palm and smile at him was no longer by his side.. Driven to distraction, he turned around. Suddenly, there was the sound of a car braking at the door of the orphanage. -Zayn looked back in surprise, but it was not the MPV. It was a Rolls¨CRoyce. Grace was stunned. She saw two bodyguards getting out of the luxury car and another old man in traditional clothes walking into the orphanage step by step with a crutch. Zayn¡¯s face changed slightly, and he clenched his fists vigntly. Grace stepped forward and asked, ¡°Who are you looking for?¡± The old man, Nathan Graham, nced at Zayn and said, ¡°I¡¯m here to pick Zay grandson.¡± Chapter 18 Everyone¡¯s faces changed, and they looked at Zayn¡¯in unison. Zayn¡¯s eyes were full of hostility. He was calm and rxed. Sparks flew when they looked at each other. The old man looked him up and down critically. ¡°You are good¨Clooking. You¡¯re tall and well- proportioned. Come with me. From now on, you will be the heir of my Graham Group. You can have whatever you want.¡± Zayn sneered and turned to leave. Suddenly, he stopped and nced at Nathan coldly. ¡°Do you know the Yale family and the Smith family?¡± Nathan said coldly, ¡°The Smith family and the Yale family? Which are you referring to?¡± Zayn said, ¡°The biggest one.¡± Nathan¡¯s eyes gleamed. Nathan¡¯s bodyguard beside him tentatively said, ¡°Mr. Zayn Graham should be referring to the Smith family, which Antonio belongs to, and the Yale family, which has a marriage arrangement with him.¡± Nathan raised his eyebrows and nodded. ¡°How could I not know them? We are friends. Why do ask this?¡± They were the top three families of Hestrya. Zayn thought for a while, then said to Nathan, ¡°If I go back with you, will it be possible for me to meet the children of the Smith family and the Yale family?¡± Nathan was confused. ¡°That¡¯s for sure. I will host a banquet for you in person, and then you can meet all the children in our circle. You will be the Graham family¡¯s only grandson.¡± Zayn¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°You said I could have everything I want.¡± Nathan was impatient. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll buy you the stars, the ind, and all the boats. Can we go now?¡± Zayn raised his head proudly. ¡°I just want the daughter of the Smith family.¡± Nathan was speechless, thinking ¡°He wants a person?¡± He finally began to look at Zayn seriously, thinking, ¡°This grandson of mine is quite interesting. He¡¯spletely different from that unsavory son of mine. This grandson resembles me.¡± you He raised his eyebrows with great interest. ¡°If the Smith family is interested, there¡¯s certainly no problem with that. You can raise or marry anyone you want.¡± Zayn said without hesitation, ¡°Get in the car.¡± Nathan¡¯s mouth twitched, and he exchanged nces with his bodyguard, looking at Zayn¡¯s aloof figure from behind. Nathan thought, ¡°But the Smith family doesn¡¯t have a daughter. They only have three male descendants, don¡¯t they?¡± Laura sat in the car and looked at the scenery nkly. Antonio sat opposite her and looked at her. ¡°Don¡¯t you have anything to ask me?¡± He thought, ¡°Doesn¡¯t she want to say anything when I adopted her after much hesitation and repeatedly reconsidering my decision?¡± Laura came back to her senses and shook her head. ¡°No.¡°, She thought, ¡°Mom said not to ask questions I shouldn¡¯t.¡± She was not interested in it either. Antonio frowned. ¡°I brought you back not because you are my daughter but because I know your uncle, your mom¡¯s brother.¡± Jasper chimed in, ¡°Your mom has four brothers and one sister. Your mom¡¯s sister is my mom. I don¡¯t know if you know that.¡± Laura thought for a while and remembered the name her mother would say every time she got drunk. Laura thought, ¡°Winnie.¡± She pursed her lips. ¡°I know.¡± Jasper said sarcastically, ¡°I guess your mom must¡¯ve frequently scolded my mom.¡± Laura was stunned and shook her head. ¡°Mom scolded her sometimes, but she just cries most of the time.¡± Antonio¡¯s eyes turned cold. ¡°Cry?¡± Laura said in a soft voice, ¡°She calls out the name ¡®Winnie¡® when she cries.¡± There was an instant silence in the car. Laura felt cold and shrank her neck. ¡°Did I say something wrong?¡± 15:01 Fri, 19 Apr The eldest son of the Smith family, Xander Smith, broke the silence and said, ¡°Anyway, your mom¡¯s rtionship with your aunt is not very good. You should also know that your mom attempted to kill your aunt but failed, so you can¡¯t appear in front of your aunt because you are your mom¡¯s daughter, and that itself is a mistake. Do you understand?¡± The second son of the Smith family, Everett Smith, snorted and said, ¡°In other words, if you dare to appear in front of our mother, we will directly abandon you.¡± Fri, 19 Apr Chapter 19 Chapter 19 Laura trembled with fear and nodded quickly. ¡°Okay! I won¡¯t show up in front of Mrs. Smith!¡± After saying that, she hurriedly looked outside to hide her panic. Laura knew that no one liked her. Even her mother always said that her birth was a mistake. She had long been used to it. Laura quietly looked out of the window and continued to be lost in her thoughts. Suddenly, a card was ced in front of her. Laura was startled for a moment before she looked in the direction the card was handed over and saw Antonio. She was perplexed. Antonio¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°There are 400 thousand dors in the card, which is your pocket money. Take this money and buy some clothes for yourself. You can get the money from me again in two months, which means your pocket money is 200 thousand dors a month. If you think it is not enough, let me know right now.¡± ¡°He said 200 thousand dors a month. How much is 200 thousand dors? Laura¡¯s head was buzzing as she wondered. Then she asked, ¡°How many packets of dried pasta can I buy with this money?¡± Jasper chuckled and mocked Laura, saying, ¡°You only care about your dried pasta! This money could buy several houses of dried pasta! Poor people.¡± Laura was ttered. She gasped and waved her hand frantically. ¡°Mr. Smith, this is too much money! I can¡¯t take it!¡± She thought, ¡°Mommy used to be angry with me for the sake of 1 dor, but Mr. Smith is giving me money that is worth several houses of dried pasta. I can¡¯t take it!¡± Antonio couldn¡¯t be bothered to deal with Laura, so he handed the card to Jasper. ¡°Take care of it. You take this money to buy her some clothes and throw away all the second¨Chand clothes she brought from the orphanage. Don¡¯t let her live in Louis¡® house looking poor and shabby.¡± Jasper was dumbfounded. ¡°Why me?¡± Everett giggled and teased Jasper, ¡°Jasper, aren¡¯t you the closest to this new little girl among us? You even secretly read the greeting card she gave you just now. Who else is responsible for her if not you?¡± Jasper was agitated. ¡°Who said I read her shabby greeting card? I didn¡¯t even look at that shabby thing. I will feed it to the paper shredder today!¡± 15:01 Fri, 19 Apr G As Jasper said that, he stared at Laura cautiously. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. I don¡¯t like your shabby greeting card, and I didn¡¯t read it at all!¡± Laura blinked in a daze. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t like it, he doesn¡¯t like it. Why does he have to emphasize it to me once more?¡± she wondered. Laura nodded obediently and said, ¡°Okay, Jasper. I won¡¯t believe what Everett said. I don¡¯t believe it at all!¡± Jasper was rendered speechless. Everettughed so much that his body was rocking back and forth. ¡°Hahaha! Jasper, it seems that you are going to have lots of fun in the time toe! Hahaha!¡± Antonio seemingly curled his lips into a faint smile and looked out of the window. ¡°Hork Mall is here. You bring her to go in there and do some shopping. I will send the bodyguard to youter. As for what to buy, you can see to it, but the money is for her, and you are not allowed to spend it on yourself,¡± he reminded Jasper. Jasper jumped out of the car angrily. ¡°Who cares about that small sum of money? Let¡¯s go!¡± With her short little lere Laura followed behind Jasper clumsily. She politely waved to the others in the car and said, ¡°Goodbye, Mr. Smith! Goodbye, Xander and Everett! Thank you!¡± Then, the door closed, and the car drove off. Jasper urged Laura impatiently andined, ¡°I really don¡¯t get why I have to handle such a trivial matter of yours. Because of this nonsense, I am stuck here with you and can¡¯t even enjoy the holiday!¡± Laura¡¯s expression changed suddenly. She lowered her head apologetically, and her innocent face was full of fear. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jasper. I¡¯ve caused you trouble. Why don¡¯t you go home? I can do it myself.¡± As Laura looked as if she was about to cry, Jasper was taken aback and smacked his lips. ¡°Come on! As far as your intelligence is concerned, you are most probably just going to get yourself lost!¡± Then, he turned around and walked into the mall. ¡°Come with me!¡± Chapter 20 Chapter 20 Laura hurriedly followed Jasper with her short legs. The moment she stepped in, the shopping mall on the television instantly came into her view. Her eyes lit up in a sh and her mouth opened wide in astonishment. ¡°Is this the ce that sells clothes?¡± she wondered. The ces where Laura used to buy clothes with her mother were all narrow alleys, which were crowded with people and not as fancy. ¡°It¡¯s so beautiful here! Even the floor reflects my figure!¡± she eximed inwardly. Laura stared at her reflection in a daze. Then, she noticed her old and dirty little shoes and looked toward Jasper, feeling inferior. She subconsciously stayed a little further away from him. Jasper found that Laura didn¡¯t catch up. He turned his head and saw Laura walking cautiously with her head down, like a listless little puppy. Her aura was rather depressing. Jasper was so exasperated at Laura¡¯s undoing that he grabbed her and questioned, ¡°What are you doing?¡± Laura was so W that she shrank back a little. She thought Jasper was going to hit her, so she hurriedly raised her hand. ¡°Mommy told me to keep a distance from her whenever we were outside, or I would embarrass her. I¡¯m sorry, Jasper! I shouldn¡¯t stay so close to you!¡± she said with a trembling voice. Jasper, who was furious and wanted to scold Laura for walking too slowly, changed his expression slightly when he heard that. ¡°Your mom didn¡¯t let you walk next to her?¡± Jasper was never let out of his mother¡¯s sight when he was a small child. ¡°Why did her mom treat her like that?¡± he wondered. Laura was shivering. She was scared that she might get beaten up. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jasper. Please tell me the rules, and I shall obey them. Please tell me once more.¡± Jasper¡¯s heart skipped a beat. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to reprimand Laura. Instead, he said angrily, ¡°The rule is that you must stay by my side, stay close to me at all times, and don¡¯t stay out of my sight. Do you hear me?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Laura trembled a little. Jasper snorted.. Laura was worried that Jasper might still be angry, so she tugged at his clothes timidly and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jasper. I didn¡¯t know. I just thought I was too dirty to walk by your side.¡± Jasper found it absurd and tilted his head. ¡°What has your mom been saying to you all this time? Why do you feel so inferior?¡± When it came to her mother, Laura felt a little sad. She muttered, ¡°Mommy said that I was a failure, and people who were failures didn¡¯t deserve to live well.¡± Jasper was stunned for a moment, and his rage disappeared instantly. He thought, ¡°She has been growing up under such treatment by her mom? Mommy praised me, as well as Xander and Everett, 800 times a day, saying I¡¯m good¨Clooking, smart, and charismatic. But Laura¡¯s mom¡­¡± 1 As Jasper didn¡¯t say anything, Laura was getting more uneasy. She tugged at his clothes timidly and said, ¡°Don¡¯t be angry, Jasper. I won¡¯t do it again.¡± Jasper¡¯s lips twitched. He awkwardly nced at Laura¡¯s plump little hand and turned his head. coldly. ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± Laura breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°I¡¯m d you are not angry. I promise I won¡¯t leave you this time!¡± Jasper shot her a nce and continued to walk forward. Laura barely caught up with him with her short little legs. Jasper was walking fast, and Laura was struggling to keep up with her short legs. As Jasper noticed it, he pretended to slow down his pace unintentionally. Laura quickly ran over to Jasper. She took a glimpse at him secretly and then walked side by side with him. Meanwhile, the passersby spotted Laura and eximed, ¡°Oh my gosh! This little girl is so cute.¡± ¡°Her brother is handsome, too. These siblings are so good¨Clooking!¡± ¡°They look so much alike!¡± ¡°Damn it! You¡¯re trying to get me to give birth to a daughter again. How can she be so beautiful?¡± ¡°Why do I think this little girl looks a bit familiar?¡± ¡°Ah! She is so cute. She even has long hair!¡± Laura looked around in confusion. ¡°Are they praising me?¡± she wondered. Laura had never received suchpliments when she was with her mother. Most people pointed at her, saying that she was the child of a prostitute and murderer and that she would not grow up to be a decent adult in the future. Other people said that she was pitiful. She had never received so manypliments. The corner of her mouth couldn¡¯t help but curl into a smile. She pursed her lips and smiled secretly, as she didn¡¯t dare to show it in front of others. Jasper gave Laura a sideways nce. He saw that she silently moved her eyebrows slightly and couldn¡¯t hide her smile. He also noticed the faint dimples on her cheeks around the corners of her mouth. Laura looked particrly sweet when she smiled. Jasper¡¯s lips couldn¡¯t help curling up, but he immediately frowned and suppressed his smile. ¡°She is just a little cute. That¡¯s all!¡± he thought. No Limits 21 Chapter 21 Jasper nced at Laura after she spoke, feeling a little angry. However, he didn¡¯t know why he was so angry. Maybe, he kind of wanted to hold her hand now. 30% He pointed to a children¡¯s clothing store that he often went to and said, ¡°You go there and wait for me. I¡¯m going to the restroom. Remember to keep your head high and keep your manners right. If I find out that you did something to embarrass me, I will really beat you up. Got it?¡± Laura nodded hurriedly and ran over to the store Jasper pointed at. She reminded herself repeatedly to do as Jasper said. ¡°Stick my chest out! Head high! Look up!¡± she chanted inwardly. Like a little duckling, Laura walked into the shop energetically. Jasper looked at her back and found her funny. ¡°So cute. This little girl is very smart as well. She has a strong ability to take care of herself,¡± Jasper noted inwardly. At this thought, Jasper shook his head again. ¡°No, no, no. That can¡¯t be,¡± he denied his thoughts. He told himself that Laura was not cute at all. Laura walked into the store bouncing on her short legs and slowly gathered herself to look dignified. Her small figure appeared tense. Seeing her, the sales assistant frowned and walked to her. ¡°Are you lost, little girl?¡± asked Stacey, the sales assistant. Laura shook her head politely and said, ¡°No, Miss. My brother brought me here to buy clothes. He told me to wait for him in this store first.¡± Stacey¡¯s expression changed, and then she looked her up and down. Laura was wearing an old dress that had clearly been donated. It was a long and haltered aqua¨Cblue skirt with some tiny stains on it. The shoes she was wearing were a pair of shabby Mary Jane shoes. The cost of the little girl¡¯s outfit could not be more than 20 dors in total. However, the store Stacey worked at sold clothes with buttons that would cost more than 20 dors. ¡°Hey, this store isn¡¯t a ce that someone poor can go to,¡± Stacey thought. She smiled mockingly and sarcastically said, ¡°Little girl, I think you¡¯d better go out first. You can easily disrupt our business! It won¡¯t be good. if you bring germs in. The children who go to this shop are very precious.¡± Laura blinked and looked outside. She did not find Jasper¡¯s figure. She shook her head firmly. ¡°No. If I leave, my brother will not be able to find me. He went to the restroom. He will be back soon.¡± Staceyughed even more sarcastically. ¡°No, you can¡¯t. You can¡¯t just stand in our store and not buy anything. Not to mention, we don¡¯t know what kind of person your brother is. What if you steal something in here? So, please go out!¡± Laura frowned. ?? Mon, Aug She definitely wouldn¡¯t steal anything. 4131 Therefore, she argued reasonably, ¡°Miss, my brother really told me to wait for him here, I can¡¯t leave! Please let me wait a little longer, Miss. I promise I won¡¯t touch anything!¡± Stacey pushed Laura out forcefully. ¡°I said no. That means no. Please stop pestering me like this. What¡¯s wrong with you, kid?¡± After saying that, she picked Laura up and threw her out like she was a piece of trash. Laura looked around nkly, but she still didn¡¯t see Jasper. At a loss, she clutched her skirt on both sides. She decided to just wait outside of the store. Seeing her standing still at the store¡¯s entrance and not moving, Stacey¡¯s expression darkened, and she simply lost her patience. ¡°You can¡¯t understand humannguage, can you, kid? I told you to leave. You¡¯re so poor, and your presence here will dy our customers from entering our store!¡± Laura trembled in fear, and the bewildered expression was clear on her chubby face. She asked in her very childish voice, ¡°Can¡¯t I just wait for my brother at the door?¡± The clerk said in an unyielding manner, ¡°No. Your brother can¡¯t even afford a button we sell. What are you waiting here for?¡± Laura¡¯s expression changed, and she also became a bit angry. ¡°How can you say that about my brother? My brother is not that kind of person. If he told me to wait here, then that means he can afford it! Don¡¯t mock him like that!¡± No Limits 22 Chapter 22 Stacey raised her eyebrows and smiled ironically. Her thoughts were clear on her face. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m so sorry. Did I offend your dignity, you poor kid? Kids nowadays know to defend their families, huh?¡± Jasper walked out of the restroom and saw Laura arguing with the sales assistant outside of the store in the distance. He frowned at this. Laura was so angry that her face turned red. Her childish voice rose as she shouted fiercely, ¡°You can say I¡¯m poor, but you cannot say that about my brother. My brother is handsome like a prince. He¡¯s not the kind of person you said!¡± After a slight pause, Laura continued in an articte and straightforward manner, ¡°Besides, my uncle gave me money, so my brother brought me here. You can¡¯t say that about him!¡± Staceyughed out loud and looked around at the passersby. Her attitude remained mocking as she said, ¡°Oh, you child. I really don¡¯t know whether to say that you are pathetic or praise you for being smart.¡± She bent down and said tauntingly, ¡°People like you cannot afford the clothes in our store. Do you understand? Maybe your brother got the wrong ce, so he brought you here, or maybe because he doesn¡¯t have the guts toe here. You standing in front of our store like this will affect our image. How can we sell our products like this?¡± After saying that, Stacey looked at Laura up and down and said, ¡°With you looking like this, I don¡¯t think y you. The two of you are probably equally poor.¡± your brother is much better than Laura lost control of herself, and she pushed the sales assistant angrily. ¡°Don¡¯t talk about my brother like that!¡± Stacey wasn¡¯t pushed back, but she was annoyed by Laura¡¯s action. In response, she pushed Laura away and said, ¡°You¡¯re courting death. Who told you to touch me? Don¡¯t you know you¡¯re dirty?¡± Laura fell to the ground, and her eyes immediately turned red. The passersby couldn¡¯t bear watching this, so they shouted, ¡°How can you bully a child?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Stacey stubbornly defended herself. ¡°I didn¡¯t bully her! She¡¯s the one looking for trouble! Dressed so poorly, she dares say that she wants to wait for her brother here. What if she¡¯s a thief?¡± One of the passersby argued, ¡°Thief? How can such a young child be a thief? Also, you¡¯ve been mocking this child for being poor just now. Do you not have a moral conscience?¡± ¡°Being a sales assistant is too awesome, huh?¡± At a loss for words, Stacey went on to target Laura and said, ¡°Am I wrong? She is poor, so she shouldn¡¯t be here!¡± There were some abrasions on Laura¡¯s skin, and blood had started to show. However, she endured the pain and red at Stacey stubbornly. ¡°You insulted my brother first! I won¡¯t allow you to say that about my brother. He brought me here to shop. He is a good person!¡± Jasper¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and something shed in his eyes. The manager of the shopping mall, Charles Lewis, passed by and saw Jasper. He hurriedly approached the boy and said, ¡°Mr. Smith, why didn¡¯t you tell us about your visit? You didn¡¯t even mention that you would bring someone with you. Allow me to apany you shopping!¡± $29% Jasper nced at him but said nothing. Meanwhile, Stacey was confident and fearless as she said, ¡°What¡¯s wrong with Insulting your brother? I¡¯m sure your brother is just a poor wretch. What¡¯s wrong with insulting him?¡± Exactly at this moment, ¨¤ cold voice of a young child interjected, ¡°Am I the poor wretch you¡¯re talking about, Miss?¡± The surroundings went silent all of a sudden, and Stacey turned in the direction of the voice. Jasper was wearing a white shirt, well¨Ctailored cks, and a pair of bespoke white shoes. He had a handsome face, with almond¨Cshaped eyes that lookednguid but full of dignity. His bangs covered his forehead in a casual fashion. He seemed to be only about ten years old, but he had an imposing aura that eclipsed Charles¡®, who was standing at his side. Jasper then slowly walked toward Stacey. Laura was overjoyed when she saw him. ¡°Jasper!¡± Stacey¡¯s expression abruptly changed, and she looked at Jasper in astonishment. 212 AD Comment Send gift No Ads 17 US Mon, 11 Aug. No Limits 23 Chapter 23 Jasper bent down to pick Laura up, carefully examining the scrapes on her body. It ovepped with the bruise from today¡¯s greeting card incident. His brows furrowed with displeasure. In a gentle tone, he asked, ¡°Does it hurt?¡± Laura shook her head softly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hurt, Jasper. I didn¡¯t protect you well. Anyway, she has beenughing at you all this time. Don¡¯t be angry, okay?¡± Jasper held her hand tightly and looked at her deeply. ¡°I¡¯m not angry.¡± He said, ¡°What you just tried to defend is my dignity.¡± Jasper stood up slowly and looked at the pale¨Clooking Stacey. ¡°Does your family own this brand?¡± Stacey¡¯s face suddenly changed, and she hastily waved her hands, saying, ¡°No.¡°. ¡°If it¡¯s not your family business, why act like a gatekeeper?¡± Jasper walked straight to her. ¡°Do you think you are famous for selling the brand? How dare you stop your customers?¡± Stacey felt her breath hitch, and she was unable to speak.. How could she not know Jasper? Jasper was the most generous client she had ever ttered. Every time he came here, he bought clothes worth tens of thousands of dors. All the new products were chosen without blinking. Several shop assistants had gone to great lengths to foster a connection with Jasper privately, but¡­ How could it be him? Laughing in a way that was more awkward than tearful, she asked hopelessly, ¡°You¡¯re not her older brother, are you?¡± Jasper sneered, ¡°Well. Unfortunately, I¡¯m her older brother.¡± The scene was filled with immediate gasps of surprise. Passersby burst intoughter. ¡°Ha¨Cha! It¡¯s a total p in the face! Someone just said that they were poor. Look, aren¡¯t they obviously rich people?¡± ¡°Life has its ups and downs! Don¡¯t bully kiddos! Ha¨Cha!¡± ¡°What a satisfying plot twist! I¡¯m counting on this scene to brighten up my day!¡± ¡°Young man, I tell you! When you were away, she criticized your younger sister both openly and subtly. She is so pitiful!¡± Stacey stepped back and exined guiltily, ¡°No, no, that¡¯s not how it is. Please don¡¯t believe that! It was just a misunderstanding on my part. I mistook her for another girl! I¡¯m really sorry!¡± Jasper teasingly narrowed his eyes. ¡°Really? But I heard clearly that you were mocking my younger sister just now. What do you have to lie 17:05 Mon, 11 Aug about?¡± He took Laura¡¯s hand and walked past Stacey without even looking at her. ¡°Mr. Lewis, tell her to leave. I don¡¯t want to see her again.¡± Charles nodded and looked at Stacey seriously. ¡°You are fired. You can leave now!¡± Stacey¡¯s face turned pale, and she said in a hurry, ¡°No, Mr. Smith! I¡¯m sorry. I have a mortgage to pay and life is tough for me. I can give you special offers and discounts, and I¡¯ll cover the difference myself. I¡¯m willing to make up for my mistake! Is that okay?¡± Jasper didn¡¯t look back. It was as if he hadn¡¯t heard it. She begged Laura in a hurry, ¡°Little girl, please help me.¡± Laura looked at her in confusion, and Jasper turned her head, and then cast a nce at Stacey. His gaze was disdainful as if he were looking at a dog. ¡°Get out of here while I¡¯m in a good mood.¡± Stacey¡¯s breath caught in her throat, and her head buzzed. Jasper held Laura¡¯s hand and walked toward the section with women¡¯s new arrivals. His tone was light, but there was a subtle and barely noticeable hint of fondness as he said, ¡°How about we buy all of them?¡± Laura felt a bit flustered. ¡°Jasper, this is too much. I can¡¯t possibly wear all of them.¡± Jasperughed innocently. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you can change and wear them. Wear one outfit for a day and then just toss it. No blind fool will mock you next time.¡± Ìï AD Comment Send gift No Ads 29% No Limits 24 Chapter 24 Jasper snapped his fingers and said in a t tone, ¡°I¡¯ll take all the new girls¡® clothes for this year, except the pink ones. Let¡¯s also find another outfit for her.¡± The other sales assistants instantly brightened up and said in a unanimous voice, ¡°Okay, Mr. Smith!¡± Another sales assistant came forward, half¨Ckneeling in front of Laura with a smile. ¡°Miss, pleasee and change your clothes now. I¡¯ll serve you!¡± Laura was ttered. ¡°They¡¯re so kind to me!¡± she thought. Amidst the wailing calls of Stacey, Laura was taken to the mirror by the sales assistants. They kept praising her, saying, ¡°Little girl, you are so beautiful!¡± ¡°Yeah, your skin is also fine!¡± ¡°Is Mr. Smith your biological brother? Why haven¡¯t we ever seen you before?¡± Laura shook her head in confusion. ¡°No.¡± She didn¡¯t know how to exin their rtionship. But these sales assistants naturally epted it and nodded. ¡°So you are cousins. I really envy that you have such a brother. You will be very favored when you grow up!¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! Look, your brother loves you so much that he¡¯s buying all these clothes for you! This is like the legendary domineering CEO!¡± ¡°Ha¨Cha! How fortunate of her to be blessed with such a fate. She has been a female lead since childhood!¡± ¡°I envy that kind of life!¡± Laura looked dazedly as the sales assistants held up different clothes for her,paring them. Her gaze then turned to Jasper, who was sitting nearby. Beside Jasper was a well¨Cdressed adult, who kept bowing his head and seemed to be apologizing to him. Jasper still looked unhappy and inadvertently looked at her. She smiled gratefully at him. ¡°Thank you, Jasper!¡°. Jasper¡¯s face changed slightly. He looked away silently, not looking at her. The sales assistants styled her hair, put on a new pair of socks, dressed her in a blue shirt, and paired it with khaki pleated pants. On her feet, she wore a pair of Chelsea boots. Her ck hair flowed down, with one side pinned behind her ear. The khaki hairpin matched the skirt nicely. The sales assistants¡® hearts melted. ¡°Oh my, I feel like I¡¯m dressing up a doll!¡± 22 17:05 Mon, 11 Aug ¡°Exactly! Her hair is so thick and long. I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m envious of a little kid!¡± Laura looked at herself in the mirror with shock. She looked like a different person, wearing clothes that fit her size and looking unbelievably refined. ¡°Am I Laura?¡± The sales assistants burst intoughter. ¡°Of course, it¡¯s you! You look so pretty, who else could it be!¡± After saying that, they pulled her to Jasper and said excitedly, ¡°Mr. Smith, look! How beautiful your younger sister is!¡± Jasper inadvertently raised his head and saw Laura. He instantly froze in ce. Laura nervously twisted her hands, looking at him anxiously. ¡°Jasper¡­ D¨CDo I look good?¡± Jasper was stunned. Laura had a pair of beautiful eyes, seemingly round and with a slight upward tilt at the corners. She had a pure and delicate charm, like a ragdoll cat. Her nose was straight, her lips plump and defined, and her chubby cheeks were so tempting to pinch. It wasn¡¯t the dress that made her look good, but her beauty that changed the whole vibe of the outfit. He knew she was beautiful, but he had never thought that she would be so pretty. Though she looked like Dad, her features were clearly more feminine, capturing her unique expression. ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± he thought. Comment No Limits 25 Chapter 25 The sales assistant leaned in and whispered in Laura¡¯s ear, ¡°Look. Your brother is staring at you in astonishment. L, you¡¯re very beautiful.¡± Laura¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and she asked uncertainly, ¡°Jasper, do I look pretty?¡± Jasper suddenly came back to his senses. He swallowed hard and said, ¡°You look more human now.¡± The sales assistants exchanged teasing nces, conveying everything without speaking. He had a strong ego after all. Laura walked up to him nervously, ¡°Thank you for buying me the clothes, Jasper. I really like it.¡± Jasper cleared his throat as the tips of his ears turned red. ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care whether you like it or not.¡± He got up arrogantly and cast a sidelong nce at her. ¡°We¡¯ll go check out other stores. I¡¯ll make the payment now. Deliver everything to the address I gave you.¡± The sales assistant smiled and nodded. ¡°Okay, Mr. Smith.¡± Jasper proceeded to the counter with his card, spending a total of 52,000 dors. Laura looked utterly bewildered. She thought to herself, ¡°52,000 dors, how much money is that? Why is it that ever since I came here, I only heard thousands of dors instead of tens of dors, hundreds of dors, and several dors?¡± They walked out of the store together. The onlookers¡® attention immediately focused on the two of them. ¡°My goodness, look at that adorable siblings!¡± Another passerby added, ¡°Wow, the little boy is so handsome, and the little girl is so exquisite. Her outfit is really nice! It¡¯s so fashionable!¡± The atmosphere was even more exaggerated than thepliments just now. Laura¡¯s cheeks heated up, and she bashfully lowered her head. What caught her gaze were clothes without a trace of dirt, and there was a subtle fragrance of new clothing. This was her favorite aroma. So far, she had only smelled it once. Today was the second time, and it was because of Jasper. She nced at Jasper gratefully and reached out to hold his hand. Jasper¡¯s stride paused and looked at her in surprise. Laura didn¡¯t feel that it was inappropriate. She just gazed around while holding his hand. His heart unknowingly skipped a few beats. He hesitated as he withdrew his hand, but he instinctively enclosed her small hand in his. Laura didn¡¯t find it odd. She reflexively held his fingers tightly. 17:05 Mon, 11 Aug S Jasper suddenly felt a surge of warmth in his heart. In fact, this warmth even curved his lips into a smile. When the two siblings walked slowly in this manner, a sense of indescribable tranquility enveloped them slowly. Laura sneakily nced at Jasper¡¯s profile. This was the first time going shopping with her family without getting scolded. She felt exceptionally happy, and she stole another look at Jasper, Jasper caught her gaze and turned toward her, asking, ¡°What are you looking at?¡± Laura choked up and quickly withdrew her eyes. She muttered, ¡°I just feel really happy when I¡¯m out with you. Thank you, Jasper. When you protected me just now, you truly seemed like a prince.¡± She looked at him earnestly. ¡°I like you, Jasper.¡± Jasper¡¯s face suddenly changed, and it instantly turned red. ¡°D¨CDon¡¯t try to butter me up. I don¡¯t fall for any ttery.¡± After saying that, he took a deep breath and led her into a cell phone store. ¡°I¡¯d like to buy a phone.¡± The shop assistant sized up his appearance and smiled. ¡°Thetest model, iPhone 14 Pro Max. Would you like to take a look?¡± Jasper nced at Laura¡¯s little hand, figuring she likely couldn¡¯t even hold it properly. ¡°She¡¯s not up to that level!¡± The shop assistant¡¯s mouth twitched. ¡°Then what kind of model are you looking for?¡± Jasper¡¯s eyes casually scanned the store. ¡°Just an iPhone 14 will do.¡± The shop assistant was speechless. He eximed inwardly, ¡°Is the iPhone 14 bad? Hello, where are your manners? I really don¡¯t understand the world of rich people!¡± No Limits 26 Chapter 26 Laura grabbed his hand and in a sweet voice, she said, ¡°I don¡¯t need a phone, Jasper. It¡¯s too expensive.¡± Jasper acted as if it wasn¡¯t a big deal. ¡°The outfit you have on could buy you three phones. Don¡¯t make a noise.¡± Laura was at a loss for words. Jasper bought her a phone, a SIM card, and a children¡¯s smartwatch. He also apanied her to buy a backpack, shoes, pajamas, and everything else she needed. They were all sent to Louis¡® home.¡± Having made most of their purchases, Jasper contacted the driver to pick him up. He said, ¡°Let¡¯s go home.¡± Laura trailed behind him eagerly. She was unable to keep up with the counting. She got a stack of clothes, a pile of bags, a phone, a tablet, and a multitude of odd and quirky items. There were even dolls. She thought that her brother was really a kind person with a cold exterior and a warm heart. She really liked him. She liked him a lot. Jasper lowered his gaze and nced at her. It was quite apparent that Laura¡¯s demeanor was changing. From her initial shyness andck of confidence, she had now reached a point where she could walk with her head held high, and her eyes were shining. It waspletely different from the first time they met. That was how his sister should be. Feeling satisfied, he initiated a video call in the group chat. Louis answered, ¡°What are you up to, Jasper?¡± Noticing his indifferent attitude, Jasper frowned and remarked, ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten clothes for Laura. Every single thing has been relocated to your house in Thompson Residences. What is the password of your house?¡± Louis was stunned and eximed in surprise, ¡°What? You¡¯ve brought Laura back, and now you want to leave her with me? What on earth are you thinking?¡± Hearing this, Laura gazed fearfully at Jasper. Jasper also nced at her somewhat awkwardly and quickly put on his Bluetooth earphones. It was clear that Louis didn¡¯t want to keep her. Laura lowered her head in a daze, looking fearfully out the window. 13 She wondered if she would be sent back. Members of the Smith family, Xander, Everett, and Antonio, also joined the video call. Antonio said, ¡°Although we have numerous properties, I¡¯m concerned Winnie will visit those properties. That¡¯s why I can¡¯t have Laura stay in my house. You, on the other hand, have plenty of vacant houses. Could you shelter her for a while, until shees of age and goes to university?¡± Louis eximed in disbelief, ¡°For a while? Why not just let me raise her and have her take care of me in my old age when she grows up?¡± Antonio¡¯s face darkened. ¡°You know I won¡¯t shortchange you on the money.¡± Louis showed strong reluctance. ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of money. Right now, it¡¯s about the fact that I don¡¯t like this child. She¡¯s Lilian¡¯s daughter! Even if Lilian is my sister, she¡¯s still my enemy! Why should I have to raise the daughter of my enemy? I don¡¯t owe her, okay?¡± He grew angrier as he spoke. ¡°Are we going to help Lilian clean up her mess just because she died? This child shouldn¡¯t even exist in this world! She should¡¯ve been taken care of from the start!¡± Jasper frowned. Laura wasn¡¯t as bad as he thought. At least that was how Jasper felt. He said in a low voice, ¡°If he¡¯s not willing, we can sell another property. He doesn¡¯t need to take care of her. We¡¯ll take care of her ourselves.¡± He could take care of Laura since she was easy to handle. Antonio firmly rejected, ¡°No, our houses all have the risk of being discovered by Winnie. As long as Winnie catches a glimpse of this child, she¡¯ll recognize her instantly. She has already suffered a lot from what happened before. She can¡¯t handle any more shocks.¡± Louis couldn¡¯t understand. ¡°Then just put her up for adoption!¡± Antonio¡¯s expression grew even more displeased. ¡°This child will attract attention as she grows up. If a prominent director takes an interest in her, there¡¯s a good chance she could be a child star. Many people want to adopt her, but each one has ulterior motives. If she gets exploited and turns into a cash cow without freedom, what are we going to do? Are you willing to see that happen?¡± Louis was speechless. He definitely wouldn¡¯t agree to it. After all, this child was the descendant of the Yale family. He couldn¡¯t allow others to benefit from it. No Limits 27 Antonio said in a deep voice, ¡°Give me a price. I will pay you the rent. I don¡¯t need you to care about her. I will hire a housekeeper for her. She just needs to stay at your ce. If you disagree, I can only find someone else.¡± Louis felt a headache and held his forehead. ¡°Forget it. The house¡¯s password is 752777.¡± Jasper breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Got it.¡± Louis said unhappily, ¡°I will go to see the childter, but at the same time, I will also exin that I don¡¯t need you to pay the rent. My assistant had seen the child and said that she has potential. I n to let the child enter the entertainment industry and sign with mypany. With that, she could live in my house naturally. Even if Winnie knew that I live with a girl, I could also say that I¡¯m raising a talented orphan. There¡¯s no problem.¡± Jasper disagreed, ¡°But Uncle Louis, she is still young now. Is it not good for you to let her enter the entertainment industry now?¡± The other two brothers looked at Jasper in surprise. Everett taunted, ¡°Jasper, are you worried about L? Did she take you down after shopping with her? Did you gain a good impression of her?¡± Jasper said, ¡°She didn¡¯t take me down!¡± Antonio disagreed, ¡°It¡¯s not that Winnie doesn¡¯t watch television. What if she watched it?¡± Louis was speechless. ¡°You don¡¯t understand what business opportunity Laura has now. Let¡¯s talk about itter. Lilian is dead. Can Winnie still think that child is yours?¡± Antonio pondered for a moment and did not retort. Louis said angrily, ¡°It¡¯s settled. I¡¯ll go back after work.¡± Then, he hung up the phone and called Dora. ¡°Dora,e home with me after work.¡± Dora was instantly nervous. ¡°Mr. Yale, have you finally fallen in love with my beauty after I¡¯ve been with you for so many years? However, I have a crush on someone. It¡¯s impossible for us to be together!¡± Louis was confused. ¡°Didn¡¯t you have an interest in a beauty before? She is my niece. I¡¯ll leave her to you. What are you thinking about?¡± Dora choked and smiled awkwardly. ¡°You are so fast that you brought this little child star home? I saw that she¡¯s trending today!¡± Louis thought, ¡°Whatever.¡± He was not interested. After eight o¡¯clock, Louis took Dora to Thompson Residences. Dora could not hold back her excitement. ¡°I need to meet our little influencer soon. I wonder if this little girl is friendly and obedient. Can I be her manager?¡± Louis drove the car and sneered, ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ll let you be her manager directly. Just take care of her only.¡± Dora nodded happily. ¡°Although it¡¯s my first time as a manager, please rest assured that I will never do any mistake.¡± Then, she thought of something. ¡°Speaking of which, she is your niece. She has been living in the orphanage for a long time. Don¡¯t you feel IVI excited to meet her after so long?¡± Louis frowned and felt unhappy. He thought, ¡°Excited? Hehe.¡± Louis saidzily, ¡°Even if I jump down from here, I won¡¯t be moved for a moment when I see that child.¡± After that, he took the elevator to the floor and entered his house. Laura, who had been nervous all the time, stood up from the couch when she heard the sound. Louis strode toward her. Seeing Laura far away, he stopped. Laura bit her lower lip and said cowardly, ¡°Nice to meet you, Uncle Louis.¡± Louis¡® expression and emotion suddenly changed. He thought, ¡°Why is this child so cute? She is even more beautiful than the photo!¡± Ìï No Limits 28 13 Dora lost control and jumped in front of Laura, sizing thetter up. ¡°Oh my, darling, you are so beautiful. Your future is promising! Let me introduce myself. My name is Dora Quinn, and I will be your manager from now on. You will earn a lot of money with me in the future. Isn¡¯t it nice?¡± Laura was a little confused. ¡°Eam a lot of money?¡± Louis came back to his senses and ignited a cigarette. ¡°Yes, our family doesn¡¯t raise useless people. You have to earn living expenses and tuition fees for yourself at a young age. Otherwise, why should you live in such a big house for nothing?¡± Jasper said displeasedly, ¡°Uncle Louis, don¡¯t be so harsh. She is just a child.¡± Laura hurriedly waved her hand and said, ¡°It¡¯s okay. I¡¯ll try my best to earn money!¡± She wanted to stay. Therefore, she would try her best to repay them for their kindness. Antonio and his other two sons walked in. Hearing this, he frowned and went straight into the living room. Louis flicked the cigarette. ¡°Dora, you can go home first. Take her to the director for an interview tomorrow. I have something to talk to her about now.¡± Dora nodded and looked at the handsome men around her. The whole room was filled with excellent hormones. However, it made people feel cold. Dora looked at Laura sympathetically and left. The atmosphere in the room suddenly became cold. Antonio fixed his eyes on Laura and nced at Jasper. ¡°Good taste.¡± Jasper did not say anything. Louis said disdainfully, ¡°What¡¯s the use of dressing well? It¡¯s better to have a good heart. What¡¯s scary is acting innocent on the surface but doing something bad in secret.¡± After saying that, he squinted and took a puff of his cigarette. ¡°Laura, how did your mother die?¡± Laura¡¯s head buzzed, and her face turned pale. ¡°What? Mommy is dead?¡± The atmosphere was tense. The men all looked surprised. Jasper stopped Louis with a look. ¡°Uncle Louis, don¡¯t talk nonsense. Laura¡¯s mother just went to the sky and didn¡¯t die!¡± Jasper tentatively asked Laura the question in the car just now. Laura did not think Lilian was dead at all. She told him very naively that Lilian went to heaven and became Queen Giselle. Only a child could believe it. Louis¡® face changed slightly, and he was embarrassed. ¡°Well¡­ Why didn¡¯t you tell me earlier that Her Majesty went to the sky? At least I¡¯ll send a gift to Her Majesty¡¯s.¡± Jasper red at Louis and said, ¡°Who would have thought you would ask?¡± He thought, ¡°He came up and asked Laura how her mother died. Is this a question that a carbon¨Cbased organism could think of?¡± However, Laura felt something was wrong and asked in a low voice, ¡°Excuse me, is my mother dead?¡± When she said this, the people present changed their expressions and felt a little bit sorry for her. Louis¡® mouth twitched, and he felt a little guilty. ¡°I was wrong. Your mother really went to the sky to be¡­ Queen Gismos.¡± Jasper said, ¡°It¡¯s Queen Giselle!¡± Louis¡® mouth twitched. ¡°Yes, Queen Giselle. But how did your mother live with you before she went to be the queen? Did she ever scold us?¡± Laura¡¯s face changed slightly, and she lowered her eyes in embarrassment. Louis saw through it at a nce and squinted fiercely. ¡°Laura, don¡¯t y tricks on us. What we hate most is girls who y tricks. How did your mother tell you? You must exin it truthfully. Otherwise, I will not raise you.¡± Laura trembled with fear and said, ¡°Mommy didn¡¯t say much to me. She doesn¡¯t like me. She just told me that I am Daddy¡¯s child. Daddy has three sons who live a happy life. I am the eyesore.¡± Then, Laura said timidly, ¡°She usually doesn¡¯t say much about you. She just says a few words when she is drunk. Moreover, the person who she beat and scolded most is me.¡± Laura looked up again. ¡°However, please believe me. Mommy didn¡¯t keep saying anything about you. She really didn¡¯t!¡± No Limits 29 Chapter 29 By the end of the sentence, Laura sounded desperate, worried they would not believe her. Jasper¡¯s heart ached when he saw her acting this way. Frankly speaking, he could not feel happy hearing this exnation. ¡°Does she think Lilian scolding her instead of the others will make the others feel better?¡± he pondered. Louis¡® eyes became fiercer. ¡°And what does she usually do to make money?¡± Hearing this, Laura shivered as her eyebrows knitted. It was hard for her to speak up. She may be young, but she understood that her mother was doing something bad. She shook her head. She did not want them to know. Louis¡® eyes darkened. ¡°Then, how did Lilian get into a car ident?¡± Upon hearing this, Laura almost burst into tears and spoke hesitantly. ¡°A woman chased after her because that woman¡¯s husband wants to give Mom money. After that, that woman suddenly came after Mom and beat her up. We didn¡¯t have enough money to pay for rent or food then. Mom was scared and ran to the road, and a car hit her.¡± Instantly, the room went silent. More hostility filled Louis¡® eyes. ¡°You mean to say that your mom asked for money from a married man, right?¡± The atmosphere gradually grew colder. Laura nodded, feeling ashamed. Louis pressed on by asking, ¡°Does she often do such things?¡± Laura bit her lower lip tightly and stopped talking. Louis continued to ask, ¡°Do you always see different men with her? Have you lost count of how many men came over?¡± Laura¡¯s body trembled. She refused to speak. Louis took a deep breath. Then, he violently grabbed the ashtray and hurled it onto the ground. ¡°Fuck!¡± Laura jumped up reflexively and ran to hide under the table, shivering. Louis was on the brink of a mental breakdown. ¡°How dare Lilian defile herself like that! The Yale family has never treated her poorly since she was young, yet she chose to bring herself to ruin step by step. She even left us a fucking dead weight after she died! Why doesn¡¯t she just die with that kid?¡± Laura¡¯s face turned pale from fear. She covered her ears as her eyes widened. ¡°So scary¡­ Uncle Louis is going to hit me!¡± she thought. MOR, Aug Antonio felt a pang in his heart seeing her behave that way, so he strode toward her and said, ¡°Come out.¡± She was terrified and begged tearfully, ¡°Don¡¯t hit me. I beg of you!¡± Antonio¡¯s expression changed slightly, and he assured, ¡°No one is going to hit you, soe out.¡± Laura continued retreating. ¡°Don¡¯t hit mel¡± 29%3 (413) She remembered a time when she had not provoked an uncle of hers. She merely nced at him, and that man dragged her across the floor and brutally assaulted her. At that time, that man threw her around like a useless idiot. Regardless, she tried her best to resist him and bit the man. However, she stopped struggling when Lilian arrived. The man said, ¡°I¡¯ll pay you.¡± Thus, Lilian stood at the corner without approaching them. Laura suddenly lost all strength to struggle, and she sobbed while the man beat her up. ¡°I¡¯m scared. I don¡¯t want to get beaten!¡± she thought. Laura wailed until her voice turned hoarse, begging, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I was wrong. Don¡¯t hit me!¡± Louis gradually calmed down and looked at her in shock. Antonio pulled her lightly. ¡°What do you think you did wrong? You didn¡¯t do anything wrong, so hurry ande out.¡± Laura did not listen to him at all. As if she was blinded, she sobbed harder and kept saying, ¡°I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡± Everyone was stunned by her crying. Jasper could not stand it anymore. He pushed Robert away and squatted beside the dining table. ¡°Laura, I¡¯m Jasper. Wake up! No one is here to hurt you, nor will anyone hurt you. I¡¯m by your side.¡± Ìï No Limits 30 Chapter 30 ¡°Jasper?¡± Laura pondered. Laura looked at him tearfully, slowly regaining her senses. ¡°Jasper?¡°: Jasper nodded vigorously. ¡°It¡¯s me.¡± Laura suddenly burst into tears and jumped into his arms. ¡°Jasper! They want to hit me. I don¡¯t want to get beaten anymore. I didn¡¯t do anything wrong. Please help me beg for mercy!¡± Jasper hugged her tightly as he caressed her backfortingly. ¡°No one will hit you. Didn¡¯t I say you¡¯re a member of the Smith family? Our family does not need to be at others¡® mercy. You are the most powerful one.¡± Laura cried until her body shivered. It seemed she had suffered a great shock. Louis slowly regained his senses and felt guilty. ¡°I wasn¡¯t criticizing her. I was just angry.¡± Jasper scolded, ¡°She¡¯s only a four¨Cyear¨Cold child. No matter how angry you were, you shouldn¡¯t have flung things around!¡± At the side, Xander frowned. ¡°No, I think something is wrong with her reaction, She has a conditioned reflex. Someone obviously had thrown something and beaten her. Try asking her.¡± Jasper¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he held Laura¡¯s face. ¡°Can you tell me if anyone has hit you before?¡± Laura nodded with tears in her eyes. ¡°Yes. That guy threw a wine bottle and hit me a few times. After hitting me, he gave Mom money, and Mom let him hit me, but I didn¡¯t do anything wrong.¡± Her soft voice made everyone¡¯s heartache for her. Jasper breathed heavily and buried her in his arms. ¡°Okay, you didn¡¯t do anything wrong. No one said you did. It¡¯s all right now. I¡¯m here.¡± A malicious glint brewed beneath Antonio¡¯s eyes as he watched Laura sob. The little girl¡¯s delicate features were reduced to a sorry sight./ He could imagine the girl being dragged out of the table and beaten violently. He suddenly clenched his fists. ¡°I¡¯ll find that man and make him pay.¡± Without saying a word, Xander turned around and made a phone call. Antonio slowly squatted down and looked at Laura calmly. Laura sniffed and tooked at him with big, teary eyes. ¡°Mr. Smith¡­¡± Antonio subconsciously reached out and wiped off her tears as he gazed at her. ¡°Remember this, Laura. From now on, no one will dare bully you. I will make those who bullied you in the past pay the price. Even if we don¡¯t like you, we won¡¯t let you go through an ounce of humiliation. I will break their arms and legs to avenge you.¡± Laura looked at him in a daze. Antonio¡¯s eyes were freezing cold, like those of a gloomy viin portrayed on television. Yet, Laura thought he was a good man. She stepped back from Jasper¡¯s embrace, opened her arms, and gave Antonio a hug. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Smith. You¡¯re so nice.¡± Antonio felt something tugging his heartstrings. He reached out and rested his hand on her petite back. This was the first time he embraced his child. Somehow, he wanted to hold her until she fell asleep. He could not help but pick her up and say, ¡°Let¡¯s get you to bed.¡± Laura buried her face in his shoulder and hummed innocently in response. She looked at Jasper and said, ¡°I want Jasper to with us.¡± Jasper followed her without hesitation. ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go with you.¡± After she was put in bed, Jasper wiped her face with a wet napkin and handed her a teddy bear. ¡°The teddy bear will sleep with you.¡± Laura nodded, holding the teddy bear in one hand and Jasper¡¯s hand in the other. Then, she closed her eyes peacefully. Antonio stood aside silently, his eyes cold. Xander knocked on the door and reported, ¡°I found him, Dad.¡± No Limits 31 Chapter 31 In the tranquil night, the city was dead silent. In a shabby basement, a man sat on the ground, his face filled with horror. His limbs were tied up, and other men in simr situations were beside him. Antonio stood under the quivering light with an iron rod in his hand, his eyes murderous. The men, with their mouths stuffed, kept whimpering. Antonio snapped his fingers. The cloth was removed from the man at the center. He shouted, ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve never offended you guys. Please let us go!¡± Antonio signaled a look at his subordinate. The subordinate raised his phone, showed them a photo, and asked, ¡°Have you seen this child before? Did you hit her?¡± The man¡¯s expression changed. ¡°Laura? Her? Who are you? What¡¯s your rtionship with her?¡± ¡°Rtionship?¡± Antonio scoffed inwardly. Antonio narrowed his eyes viciously and answered casually, ¡°I¡¯m her father.¡± The man¡¯s pupils suddenly contracted. ¡°Father?¡± he eximed inwardly. Antonio handed the iron bar to his subordinates. A heart¨Cwrenching scream echoed from the basement at once. Antonio sat on a tattered chair with his legs crossed; killing intent umting in his eyes as if it could swallow people up. It was not until the man gradually lost consciousness while he screamed, terrifying everyone else around him and making them soil their pants, did Antonio felt slightly satisfied. Just then, his phone rang. Jasper: [She¡¯s already asleep.] Antonio got up and ordered, ¡°Continue.¡± With that, he strode away as the screams behind him gradually grew silent. Antonio walked outside, raising his head to look up at the starry sky. As the stars glimmered, one of them shone especially brightly. He narrowed his eyes in disdain. ¡°You really are dead, Lilian. If not, I wouldn¡¯t let you go.¡± ¡®How dare she do those unspeakable things in front of my child? She gave birth to my child but didn¡¯t contact me at all, and she raised my child like an animal 1/2 13:52 Tue, 12 Aug Even if I don¡¯t want this child, she shouldn¡¯t endure any hardship anymore,¡® he thought. He said to a subordinate, ¡°Choose a highly educated housekeeper to take care of her. Remember that she must like the child. Investigate their background, and check if there is any dark history.¡± The subordinate nodded. ¡°Understood, Mr. Smith.¡± On the other side, Laura held the teddy bear slightly as she grunted ufortably in her sleep. A tear rolled down from the corner of her eye. Jasper, who had been by her side for an hour, wiped off her tears. Xander and Everett stared at him. Everett sneered, ¡°No way. Jasper, you should be the one that hates her the most among us. You¡¯ve only been with her for a day, and it¡¯s like you¡¯re a different man.¡± Jasper withdrew his hand silently and straightened his back. ¡°I just feel annoyed that no one is here tofort her. Don¡¯t misunderstand.¡± Xander scoffed. Everett mocked, ¡°Laura may be pitiful, but don¡¯t you forget her mother almost killed ours. Not to mention, her mother used some underhanded tactics to make Dad impregnate her. Laura is but a filthy child.¡± Jasper¡¯s eyes darkened. ¡°She has already changed her clothes. Now, she wears the best quality clothes. She¡¯s not filthy.¡± Xander scoffed again. Jasper pursed his lips and left without saying anything else. There was already a pile of cigarette butts in Louis¡® ashtray. The whole room was shrouded in smoke, leaving only Laura and him in the house. He hesitated for a while before walking to Laura¡¯s room. Laura stirred in her sleep. She woke up after hearing the door open and looked at him in horror, She even hid under her nket. Louis frowned, put out the cigarette butt, and said impatiently, ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. I won¡¯t hurt you. I was angry just now, but not at you.¡± Laura stared at her in a daze and gradually calmed down as she trained her clear eyes on him. Louis was irritated by her stare but did not know what to say, so he turned around and left. Suddenlyura asked ¡°Mr Yale are you my mom¡¯s fourth brother?¡± AD Comment No Limits 32 Chapter 32 Louis stopped in his tracks and looked at her in surprise. Laura held the bear Jasper prepared for her and said softly, ¡°Mom said her fourth brother was a very grumpy person, but she also said he is a nice person.¡± Louis tilted his head. He could not tell whether she was speaking the truth. ¡°Did your mom talk about us nicely?¡± Lilian should have hated them. Laura nodded. ¡°Mom will tell me about you guys when she is drunk. She said all of you are very smart, and she¡¯s the only stupid one. She also said you often make fun of her dumbness, but you helped her sometimes, so I know about you.¡± Louis scorned angrily. ¡°When have I ever made fun of her for that? I¡¯ve never-¡± He suddenly remembered an interaction he had with Lilian before. Lilian showed up before him and bragged, ¡°Look, Louis! I passed my SAT. It¡¯s so hard.¡± Louis snorted, ¡°Is SAT that hard? Did you know Winnie scored 9 for her IELTS at your age?¡± Lilian was stunned, and her face darkened. ¡°What do you mean? I worked so hard to get this. I¡¯m different from you! Why would you say that?¡± Heughed loudly. ¡°Sure, you worked hard to achieve this. It can¡¯t be med that you¡¯re the dumbest one in our family. You¡¯re different from us. I can¡¯t understand working hard to get good results like you.¡± At that time, Lilian¡¯s face turned as red as a tomato, but she did not get angry at him. She only turned around and left despondently. Louis did not expect her to hold a grudge over a joke till now. Louis said awkwardly, ¡°Your mom is so petty.¡± Laura raised her eyebrows and defended, ¡°No. I don¡¯t know what happened between you, but Mom always cries after she drinks. She said that all of you will never be satisfied with her.¡± She still remembered how happy she was when Lilian came to take her away. On the first night, Lilian got incredibly drunk and began to beat her. After she got tired from that, Lilian held Laura in her arms and cried. ¡°Why? Why don¡¯t they like me no matter what I be? Is it because l was born a mistake? Laura, tell me what¡¯s right. Why should people like us live?¡± Laura still remembered this now. The most frequent thing Lilian told her was that she was born a mistake. After that, she added that Laura was also a mistake. It was a mistake of being born. Laura slowly sat up and said, ¡°I know Mom made a big mistake. She is a murderer with many sins, but Mom just wants praise from all of you. She did something wrong, and I don¡¯t ask you to forgive her, but I hope you don¡¯t think she¡¯s evil. Is that okay?¡± She had always thought Lilian was pitiful. 1/2 Aug She also sympathized with Lilian. Louis felt glum in his heart. Hearing her words, he felt ufortable. Lilian was dead. Forgiveness did not matter much anymore. He turned around to leave, waving his hand irritably. ¡°I got it. Go to sleep. I won¡¯t leave. I will live here until we find a housekeeper. Don¡¯t call me Mr. Yale anymore. I am your fourth uncle, so just call me Uncle Louis.¡± Laura was stunned, and her eyes lit up. She nodded vigorously and said, ¡°Okay, Uncle Louis.¡± Louis nced at her awkwardly and snorted. ¡°Don¡¯t get too smug. You have an interview tomorrow morning. You better work hard and pay your rent. My rtionship with your mom isn¡¯t that great, so I don¡¯t need to raise you.¡± She nodded. ¡°I will!¡± No Limits 33 Chapter 33 At the Smith residence, a woman was suddenly shocked awake, and she sat on the bed, gasping for breath. Antonio came straight to her, sat by the bed, and asked with concern, ¡°Winnie, did you have a nightmare again?¡± Winnie¡¯s vision went ck. After a long while, with sweat on her forehead, she looked at Antonio and eximed, ¡°Antonio, I dreamed of Lilian! I dreamed that she was trapped in the swamp, but I couldn¡¯t pull her up. I could only watch her be buried alive! Did something happen to her?¡± Antonio¡¯s heart skipped a beat, and he calmly wiped her tears,forting her. ¡°What are you talking about? Lilian has already been released from prison, and nobody knows where she went. Don¡¯t worry about her. Do not forget the reason why you lost one of your kidneys. Winnie grabbed his arm eagerly. ¡°No, Lilian saved me. She didn¡¯t want to kill me! That man framed her. She really did save me, Antoniol She was just ashamed of me, so she took the fall. I¡¯ve said it for so many years. Please believe me! Help me get her back!¡± Antonio sighed helplessly, held her hand, and said, ¡°Winnie, Lilian confessed to the crime at that time. She wanted to kill you, and the evidence was conclusive. I know you¡¯re kind, but even if she is your sister, she doesn¡¯t really regard you as her big sister, understand?¡± The anticipation in Winnie¡¯s eyes slowly faded. She let go of him and lowered her head in disappointment. Antonio got up and said, ¡°I¡¯ll get you some water.¡± Winnie fell silent for a while and suddenly said, ¡°I remember that you had a child with Lilian¡­ Did she give birth to the baby?¡± Antonio stopped in his tracks and frowned, ¡°I already gave her money to have an abortion. How could she deliver the baby?¡± As if he was trying his best to get rid of the stain, he said in an irritable tone, ¡°Don¡¯t mention it again.¡± Winnie looked at his back nkly and didn¡¯t speak anymore. She got her phone and made a call. ¡°The number you dialed is not in service. Please check the number and try again.¡± She frowned and sent several Instagram direct messages to Lilian: [Lilian, are you still in prison? Have you gotten out? Back then, you said you didn¡¯t want to have an abortion. Where are you now? What kind of life are you living? I want to meet you.] [Don¡¯t worry. I have no other intentions. If you encounter difficulties in your life, you cane to me or give me your ount number if you don¡¯t want to talk to me. I want to give you some living expenses and let you live a good life.] [You must be very tired as a single mother.] [I¡¯m worried about you.] The messages were sent out, but she did not receive any response. Winnie closed her eyes, and she had a splitting headache. After Lilian went to prison, her headaches kept getting worse. 2 Closing her eyes, she could still remember the short¨Chaired Lilian wearing a prison uniform and facing her through the ss as she said, ¡°Winnie, I¡¯ve been sentenced to life imprisonment in their hearts. So, is there a difference whether I¡¯m innocent or not?¡°. Lilian¡¯s Instagram profile picture was still the photo of her holding the trophy that ranked first in equestrianism while standing together with Winnie. 13:53 Tue, 12 Aug The first post was the view of Winnie¡¯s back in a wedding dress, preparing to walk down the aisle, Antonio could vaguely be seen on the stage. The caption was: [My sister is getting married, and the iman she married is the dream man I have liked for a dozen years, I feel like crying it not because of that man but because my sister is married. That jerk must let my sister be happy!} She felt her nose sting, and her head hurt like it would explode. She hurriedly quit Instagram and checked with other software to divert her attention. However, the trending search caught her attention. She clicked in, and Laura, who was looking at the camera with tears, instantly caught her attention. ¡°Huh? This kid¡­ How could she look so alike!¡± AD No Limits 34 Chapter 34 Winnie searched for clues in thements section, found the name of the orphanage, and quickly made a call. The call went through. ¡°Hello.¡± Her heart beat fast, and she said tentatively, ¡°Hello, I saw an orphan waiting for adoption at your orphanage on Twitter. L, right? Is she still there?¡± ¡°The child has been taken away by her family today. If you want to go through with adoption, we still have many children here.¡± Winnie was surprised. ¡°Can you tell me who took her away?¡± ¡°It was her father. Is there a problem?¡± Winnie frowned and hung up the phone in disappointment. ¡°No, I¡¯m sorry to bother you.¡± She put down her phone and turned on Laura¡¯s video, spaced out. The child¡¯s resemnce was uncanny, no matter how she looked at it. But since the child had been taken away by her biological father, she was not the child of Antonio and Lilian. It was just a child who looked like them. She eximed inwardly, ¡°I must be crazy. If Lilian really gave birth to the child, that child can¡¯t be an orphan. I¡¯d better stop thinking about it.¡± Early in the morning, Laura was asleep when Dora refreshingly went into her room and opened the curtains. ¡°Come on, my little cash cow! It¡¯s time to work.¡± Laura rubbed her eyes drowsily and woke up with a teddy bear in her arms. ¡°Am I going to make money?¡± Her mellow voice softened Dora¡¯s heart. Shepared the two clothes she picked in front of the little girl and said, ¡°Yes, let¡¯s go for an interview today. If the director likes you, you will be rich, and you can make a lot of money!¡± Lawrence Lane, the interview director, was a high¨Cquality person and had won countless prizes, and if he were an actor, he would be the best actor. If the girl seized the opportunity and became a child star, her future would be promising. Laura nodded confusedly. After washing up, she wore a proper dress and walked with Dora. The more Dora looked at her, the more she liked the little girl. ¡°I spotted you at first nce when I saw you online! If you can be appreciated by Mr. Lane today, I¡¯ll take you to the indoor yground!¡± Laura¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Really?¡± Dora nodded. ¡°Of course! Why would I lie to you? However, let me tell you. We may bete because the other party informed us toote, but they will wait for us briefly, so you must perform well when you go in.¡± Laura was even more excited. She hurriedly prepared herself and decided to wrap things up quickly. She wanted to go to the indoor yground. Meanwhile, in the audition hall, a delicate little girl came out. She was about six years old, with her hair tied into a bun and her chin raised up high. She looked like a proud peacock. There was a woman with the same delicate features next to her. People would know they were mother and daughter at first sight. 1237 Their proud expressions were almost the same. The staff smiled at them and said, ¡°Please go back to wait for our announcement. We will inform you by text message if you pass the interview The girl was arrogant and said confidently, ¡°Madam, although you said so, I¡¯m sure the female lead has already been decided on, and it¡¯s going to be me right?¡± The staff was confused. ¡°What?¡± Thedy touched her daughter gently and said, ¡°Mandy, don¡¯t say that. Maybe there are some excellent childrenpeting with you. Don¡¯t be proud. Mandy Zimmerman didn¡¯t take it seriously. ¡°Mom, I think I will seed. Those girls who were interviewed with me just now are not as rich as our family. am sure that I can be the female lead this time. If not, let Dad buy it!¡± AD No Limits 35 Chapter 35 The staff maintained a politely awkward smile on her face. ¡°It¡¯s a good thing for a kid to be confident. Perhaps you teach them well. In that case, you may go back and wait for the news Please excuse me for now.¡± After that, the staff returned to the hall. As soon as the door closed, Lawrence impatiently flipped through the actors¡® profiles. ¡°Not a single one I like, especially Mandy! What was that performance? I asked her to y a poor girl who has suffered, not an arrogant peacock unting its feathers! Who¡¯s she showing those aggressive antics to? I¡¯m so done with her!¡± He bellowed, ¡°So now everyone cane for an audition without screening, can¡¯t they?¡± The assistant director, Jackson, was particrly awkward. The staff who had escorted Mandy a moment ago twitched at the corner of her mouth. ¡°Mr. Lane, don¡¯t get too worked up. Mandyes from an influential and affluent family. She¡¯s bound to be given some face. Besides, it seems like she¡¯s convinced that the female lead is her. She hasn¡¯t gone far yet, so who knows what she might hear.¡± Lawrence closed the actors¡® profiles. ¡°Picking her? Have I lost my mind, or has she? Kids these days, do they even understand? And do their parents even have a clue?¡± He nced at the others in agitation and bellowed, ¡°Has that kid named Laura been found yet?¡± The staff nced at the time. ¡°Yes, but her manager only got in touch with me this morning. It¡¯s toote to inform them, but they¡¯re on their way here. They should arrive in about half an hour.¡± Lawrence¡¯s face darkened slightly when he heard this. ¡°Are you sure she wille?¡± The staff seemed a bit uneasy. ¡°I¡¯ll go wait outside.¡± Just then, Dora hurriedly led Laura toward the audition hall. Mandy, who had just finished her performance, felt parched and was about to take a sip of water. From a distance, she heard a series of urgent footsteps. Laura was wearing an aqua¨Cblue dress, running behind Dora. Mandy¡¯s expression changed, and she shouted, ¡°Stop!¡± Laura stopped in her tracks, observing Mandy as she approached. ¡°Are you here for the audition?¡± Mandy questioned. She was momentarily taken aback by Mandy¡¯s elegance and nodded in response. Dora put on a smile. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re here for the audition. Sorry, could you please excuse us? We¡¯re runningte.¡± Mandy, who was looking down on them, blocked their path and spoke. ¡°The actress has already been appointed. Now that I¡¯m the female lead, there¡¯s no need for you to go in. Besides, people like you who can¡¯t even arrive on time for an audition are unprofessional and embarrassing. Don¡¯t make a fool of yourselves.¡± Dora¡¯s smile vanished abruptly, and she pulled Laura along, stepping forward. ¡°Sorry, even if the female lead has been chosen, I¡¯ll stand by my artist until the very end. Excuse us.¡± Mandy sneered, ¡°Well, Madam, taking her along won¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s just a waste of the director¡¯s time. You won¡¯t be selected for su nuisance!¡± 13 At this moment, the staff rushed out of the room anxiously and happened to spot Laura, her delight evident. ¡°Oh dear, Mr. Lane has been waiting for you!¡± AD Mandy¡¯s smile instantly faded as she watched the same female staff who had been courteous to her moments ago enthusiastically approach Laura, Lane is eagerly waiting for your arrival. It¡¯s just time, as the previous audition has just ended. I¡¯ll take you in right away!¡± With that said, she led Laura into the audition hall. As the door closed, only Mandy, Annie, and Dora remained in the waiting hall. Dora stood still for a couple of seconds before suddenly turning to Mandy and grinning mischievously. ¡°Ha¨Cha!¡± AD No Limits 36 Chapter 36 Chapter 36 Mandy¡¯s face couldn¡¯t contain her irritation, and her brow furrowed in frustration. Dora strolled over to the couch and sat down, uttering with an eerie tone, ¡°Oh dear, what¡¯s going on? Didn¡¯t you just say the female lead is you? Howe Mr. Lane is waiting for Laura for the audition now? Could it be that you were simply getting ahead of yourself?¡± Mandy was taken aback and clenched her lips. Annie looked displeased and reprimanded, ¡°Be more polite when you speak to my daughter!¡± Rolling her eyes, Dora responded, ¡°Of course, Your Highness. No problem at all, Your Highness. Your Highness, you should hurry and leave. Don¡¯t reveal your crystal heart before the results are announced!¡± Fuming, Mandy tightened her fist and plopped down on the couch. ¡°I¡¯m not leaving. After all, I¡¯ll be the female lead. She definitely won¡¯t get chosen. I¡¯ll wait right here!¡± Dora let out a snort. ¡°Then go ahead and wait. L is born to be the female lead in the Mary Sue ys. The role is undoubtedly hers. My judgment couldn¡¯t go wrong.¡± Laura stood nervously before the group of adults, fidgeting her hands on her dress. Lawrence¡¯s eyes lit up the moment he saw her. He couldn¡¯t contain his admiration. ¡°Hey, little girl. Has anyone ever told you how beautiful you are?¡± Laura trembled slightly and spoke softly. ¡°Yes, Director.¡± Lawrence broke into a smile. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. You don¡¯t need to be nervous. I know it¡¯s your first time acting, but I feel that your demeanor and the way you cry are exactly what I imagined for the female lead. So, I¡¯d like to invite you to act in a role for me. If you do well, I¡¯ll give you some candy. How does that sound?¡± The staff looked at Lawrence as if he were a ghost. ¡°How could he change his demeanor so quickly?¡± they wondered. Just a moment ago, he had a sour expression the whole time, seeming displeased with all the young actors. He looked like Cindere¡¯s stepmother. And now, he switched to apletely different attitude, bing like Fairy Godmother. He even offered candy. It was like pampering a princess. Laura traty lived up to her reputation as a captivating contestant. Lawrence turned to Jackson. ¡°Get Robert here. I want him to meet Laura, the young heroine I¡¯ve chosen, and let them rehearse together.¡± Jackson nodded and sent a message to Robert. In the lounge, Robert received the message and furrowed his brows. The manager, assessing his expression, tentatively asked, ¡°Mr. Lane wants you to rehearse with his selected young female lead?¡± Robert sighed and tapped his phone with displeasure. ¡°Yes, I really don¡¯t understand why he insists on choosing an amateur. This is a great script, but he just has to choose an amateur to act in it. What if she messes up?¡± His manager responded, ¡°He¡¯s a renowned director, after all. Each film he makes is a hit, and he¡¯s very picky about the roles They must match his expectations. Geniuses often have quirky temperaments, and Mr. Lane is persistent to the core.¡± Restlessly, Robert stood up. ¡°Then just let him be. If it were up to me, I¡¯d choose the previous young actress for sure. This girl is just an amateur, and her acting definitely won¡¯t cut it.¡± Then, he entered the audition hall. Upon spotting him, Mandy in the waiting hall straightened in surprise, watching Robert¡¯s back disappear through the door. She pondered, ¡°Isn¡¯t he the leading male actor? He¡¯s here too? Then why didn¡¯t hee to my audition just now?¡± Dora called out, eximing, ¡°L is really different. The male lead personallyes to assess anyone else has had the honor.¡± her, the young heroine, during the audition. I wonder it I¡¯m the real female leadi Mandy¡¯s breath caught for a moment, and she red fiercely at her. ¡°What¡¯s so special about it? She won¡¯t make it anyway. I Robert entered the audition hall with an exhausted look and walked directly to Lawrence. ¡°I¡¯m here,¡± Lawrence¡¯s expression brightened. ¡°Robert,e rehearse with our little girl here. This is Laura Yale. What a coincidence, you both share the same surname!¡± Robert paused and turned around, looking behind him. Laura blinked her eyes in a simrly bewildered manner as she gazed at him. There was a fleeting moment of stillness in the atmosphere. A sudden jolt struck Robert¡¯s heart. He muttered with shock, ¡°This kid¡­ Her face¡­ Why does it resemble my brother¨Cinw, Antonio?¡± AD No Limits 37 Chapter 37 Robert¡¯s demeanor underwent a dramatic change. Subsequently, he retrieved his phone and began scrolling through the family group that limited to male members. His brow furrowed as he came across a message from Louis: (Lilian didn¡¯t terminate her pregnancy. Her child has now grown up, and be name is Laura. She currently resides in my home.] Apanying the message was a photo of the child. Only Joshua responded with the message: [Good.] There was no reply from Favian. Due to his busy work schedule, Robert had ously neglected the family group chat which he had intentionally blocked. The girl in the photo bore an uncanny resemnce to the young girl before him. In fact, the girl in person was even more attractive than in the photo, albeit not very photogenic. Yet, even without being photogenic, she was already remarkably beautiful. ¡°This girl before me¡­ turns out to be my niece!¡± Robert stared at Laura in shock. His entire being was frozen in ce, rooted to the spot. Lawrence yfully quipped, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, Robert? Is the little girl¡¯s beauty rendering you utterly speechless? Why are you lost in thought over there?¡± Robert snapped back to reality, ncing once again at Laura. Laura still tilted her head in puzzlement. A strange sense of familiarity clung to her while she observed the man in front of her. ¡°His features held a subtle resemnce to my mother,¡± she an actual connection?¡± pondered. ¡°And what¡¯s more, we have the samest name. Could there be Her scrutinizing gaze didn¡¯t sit well with Robert, leading him to swiftly refused, stating, ¡°No, this child is not eptable!¡± Deep in thought, he reflected, ¡°This child is an illegitimate child! Winnie always watches the y I performed in, even going so far as to enthusiastically invite numerous people to watch. If anyone were to recognize her, it would undoubtedly expose everything. This is absolutely out of the question.¡± Lawrence found the situation puzzling. ¡°Why not? L has both beauty and a charming demeanor. It¡¯s essential to assess her acting abilities at this point. If there¡¯s potential to develop her, I¡¯ll definitely consider her. How can you simply reject her outright? As an adult, you should approach this without prejudice!¡± Robert said firmly, ¡°However, her acting abilities are likely to be subpar. It¡¯s because her mother isn¡¯t that great, and she¡­¡± His words came to an abrupt halt. Laura was left startled. She blinked in confusion and thought nervously to herself, ¡°Why did he mention my mother?¡± Lawrence felt it was absurd. ¡°Her mother? What does her mother have to do with this?¡± He knew that Lilian was a murderer. But what difference did that make? What does the fact that the mother was a murderer have to do with the child? Robert suddenly realized his own outburst. He had lost his be a bit older now, she has ample experience and shines in emotional scenes. She¡¯s our best choice.¡± 12:57 Sat, 16 Aug Lawrence said helplessly, ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned that the character¡¯s background is set at around four or five years old. The oldest among the chalck auditioning today is only six. The one you favor is nine years old. How can that fit the character¡¯s script?¡± Robert bit his lower lip, casting a disdainful nce at Laura. He knew there was no use in arguing further. ¡°Let¡¯s wrap this up quickly then Laura quivered under his stare, her spirits dampened as she lowered her gaze. ¡°Why does this man who looked somewhat like my mother, always seem to have a negative opinion of me?¡± Robert was in a sour mood. ¡°She won¡¯t make the cut anyway, that¡¯s the end of it.¡± Laura trembled and muttered defiantly, ¡°I¡¯ll make it.¡± Robert didn¡¯t hear clearly and asked, ¡°What?¡± Laura looked up, her unwavering determination shone through herrge, round eyes. ¡°I will definitely make it.¡± Fueled by the image of their joint triumph, she spoke with conviction to herself, ¡°I¡¯ll do whatever it takes to stay! To stand shoulder to shoulder with Zayn? at the very top!¡± Robert¡¯s lips curled with a hint of disgust as he disregarded her presence and stood aside. ¡°This unyielding spirit of hers was just like that foolish mother of hers.¡± With a gentle smile, Lawrence said, ¡°L, whatever I tell you, take a moment to contemte it and then reflect on it in your performance, okay? Since it¡¯s your debut in acting, I¡¯d like to put your skills to the test a bit and see if you can evoke the emotions and cry on cue.¡± Laura nodded nervously. Lawrence continued, ¡°Imagine that your mother has passed away.¡± Laura, Robert, and everyone around were stunned by what they heard. AD No Limits 38 Chapter 38 A sudden realization dawned on Lawrence, and he waved his hands awkwardly. ¡°Absolutely! Not your present mother, but a fabricated one. She passed away right before your eyes.¡± Laura¡¯s brow creased as she contemted, her demeanor gradually shifting to a dazed and detached state. Lawrence¡¯s tone grew somber. ¡°In this very moment, right beside you, there are several adults who have been trapped under the fallen bricks, lying on the ground. Blood has stained the surroundings. Your mother is directly in front of you. You kneel down and take a look.¡± Robert¡¯s lips formed a mocking curve as he sneered, ¡°It seemed like she might recite her lines expressionlessly the moment she spoke.¡± Out of nowhere, the scene of her mother lying in a pool of water surged into Laura¡¯s thoughts. Her mother¡¯s body twitched, and her once beautiful eyes filled with despair and emptiness. ¡°What should you do? What will you do if I die?¡± Her body trembled, and she crouched down in disbelief, staring nkly. ¡°Mommy?¡± The very faint call left Robert¡¯s expression touched with astonishment. Lawrence gently guided. ¡°Call out to her.¡± Laura pursed her lips, and hesitantly extended her tiny hand toward the emptiness. She gave it a gentle shake, whispering, ¡°Mommy, Mommy¡­ Mommy!¡± With each word, her voice grew louder, carrying a growing desperation in every outcry. Tears fell in sizable droplets, pooling into a small puddle on the ground beneath her. The staff watched in stunned silence. Even from outside the room, Dora felt a shiver run down her spine as she heard it. Mandy nervously bit her lower lip, her unease evident. ¡°Mommy, she must have cried in an ugly manner, right?¡± However, inside the room, Laura cried incessantly and yet did not lose her elegance. Lawrence¡¯s expression grew increasingly serious. ¡°Then you looked up and saw your dad.¡± Laura suddenly lifted her head, meeting Robert¡¯s gaze. Robert¡¯s heart seemed to skip a beat as if that gaze had prated into the depths of his soul. It was as if they had truly transformed into a father and daughter finding sce in each other¡¯s presence. ¡°Her ability to convey emotions was truly remarkable¡± Robert confessed to himself in private. A hint of fascination appeared in Lawrence¡¯s eyes. ¡°You saw your father. He¡¯s entirely covered in dirt and stood at a distance, gazing at you. What are you going to do?¡± Laura stared nkly at him as tears slipped down silently, and her hands fumbled to grasp her dress. ¡°Daddy?¡± ¡°Robert¡¯s breath hitched, and his eyes reddening as he silently looked at her.¡± She rushed straight into his embrace. ¡°Daddy!¡± Robert stumbled back a couple of steps from her sudden impact and then hugged her tightly. 1/2 12:58 Sat, 16 Aug Laura cried breathlessly, ¡°I couldn¡¯t wake Mommy up. She ignored me. She¡¯s not responding to me, no matter what I do. Daddy, please save Mommyt Images of Lilian lying in a pool of blood filled her mind. The sight of the red dress hem billowing was a nightmare she could conjure even when she closed her eyes. And so, she cried out again and again, ¡°Daddy! Please save her! Please save her!¡± She scream until her voice turned hoarse. Tears welled up in Robert¡¯s eyes. He looked at Laura, and there weren¡¯t any remnants of Lilian¡¯s bothersome presence anymore He knelt down, cradling Laura in his arms. ¡°I¡¯m here. From now on, L will stay with me. The staff were all deeply moved, watching the two of them with teary eyes. I¡¯ll always be by your side.¡± With tears rolling down his cheeks, Lawrence stood up abruptly, breaking into apuse. ¡°Bravo! Bravo! L, you¡¯re truly outstanding. You¡¯re the one I¡¯ve been looking for!¡± Following suit, numerous staff also began to apud, creating thunderous apuse that continued on and on. Laura was still immersed in sadness, and she looked at them with confusion. Robert reached out to her. He delicately held the back of her head, using his other hand to wipe away her tears. A smile yed on his lips despite the teardrops glistening in his eyes. ¡°I¡¯ve truly underestimated you, little one.¡± Laura sniffled and asked in a childish voice, ¡°Do you like me?¡± Robert was momentarily taken aback, then, he chuckled softly. ¡°Don¡¯t think too much. I¡¯m simply acknowledging your talent in acting.¡± No Limits 39 Chapter 39 After hearing the apuse in the waiting hall, Dora could not control herself and stood up from her chair. ¡°I knew she could do it!¡± Mandy suddenly turned livid. She panicked and I held Annie¡¯s hand. ¡°Mom, am I going to be reced?¡°. Annie calmly replied, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. Even if they choose someone else, I can buy them back.¡± Mandy pursed her lips with a grievance. ¡°But I just want them to like me!¡± She looked at the delighted Dora, kicked the table angrily, and left indignantly. Then, she murmured, ¡°She¡¯s not good¨Clooking either. I¡¯ve done a facial treatment this morning. How can she outweigh me?¡± Laura nestled in Robert¡¯s arms and could not rx for a long time. For the first time, Robert had the patience to deal with a a child. He patted Laura¡¯s back repeatedly. The shock in his heart was beyond words. Laura turned out to be the daughter of Lilian, his sister, who could not do anything well. He hated Laura, but she proved to him with her prowess that she was excellent. Laura was born for acting. Robert wondered how Lilian, who was active in sports, could give birth to such a daughter like Laura. Lilian clearly inherited the worst gene in their family. Robert was shocked. His excitement for finding a genius was far more than his hatred toward Laura. He stretched his hand to Laura and said kindly, ¡°From now on, you¡¯re my female lead. I look forward to working with you.¡± Laura blinked her teary eyes, held his fingers with her small hand, and nodded. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Yale!¡± Robert chuckled. ¡°You should call me ¡®Uncle Robert.¡°¡± Laura asked, ¡°What?¡± ¥¿©` Lawrence stood excitedly and praised her. ¡°Her acting is natural and highly contagious! Robert, do you believe that if this child can always maintain this state, she may be the best actress?¡± Robert looked at the pretty Laura and shook his head with a AD No Limits 40 Chapter 40 The staff said to the woman, ¡°Mr. Yale is inside now. Please wait for him in the waiting area.¡± Winnie nodded with a smile and went to the waiting area. She happened to sit opposite Laura. They looked at each other. Laura immediately averted her gaze, afraid that Winnie would think she was rude. Winnie¡¯s eyes lit up. ¡°Huh? It¡¯s you!¡± Laura was startled. Winnie had recognized her. Winnie took the initiative to sit next to Laura and sized thetter up eagerly. ¡°I saw you online yesterday. I didn¡¯t expect we would meet today. You¡¯re L, right?¡± Laura could not look away from Winnie¡¯s beautiful eyes and nodded. ¡°Yes.¡± Laura pondered, ¡°How could there be such a beautiful woman? She looks like a fairy.¡± Winnie was beautiful. She had pretty eyes, a dainty nose, and thick lips, and she was tanned. There was a faint beauty mark under the corner of her eye. She looked enchanting with every move. Laura blushed from admiring Winnie and felt that thetter looked familiar. However, she dared not to stare. Winnie studied Laura from head to toe carefully. Then, she stared at thetter¡¯s eyes with aplicated expression. ¡°Are you here for an interview as a little actress?¡± Laura nodded honestly. Dora told her that she was not allowed to randomly talk or go with strangers. However, she did not think Winnie was a bad person. A trace of imperceptible loneliness shed across Winnie¡¯s eyes. ¡°You just left the orphanage. Where¡¯s your mother?¡± Laura answered, ¡°Mom went to be Queen Giselle.¡± Winnie was stunned for a moment. Then, she smiled quickly with a hint of sympathy. ¡°You¡¯re actually a princess. I¡¯m sorry for not recognizing you sooner!¡± Laura was overjoyed and waved her hand shyly. ¡°No! I¡¯m not! I don¡¯t deserve to be a princess! Mom didn¡¯t even take me with her. I¡¯m not a princess!¡± Winnie smiled softer and said, ¡°Who told you that? Haven¡¯t you ever seen the princesses in those cartoons? They have to experience hardships, be the most powerful witch, and be the new queen.¡± Laura was dumbfounded. Then, she spoke with surprise. ¡°Did you mean Mom didn¡¯t take me away because she wants me to be a good witch?¡± Winnie nodded. ¡°Of course! Your mother wants you to study hard, so you have to work hard and grow up! Isn¡¯t that what the protagonists do in cartoons?¡± Laura suddenly understood and nodded. Winnie was right. The protagonists did that in cartoons. 12:58 Sat, 16 Aug Winnie smiled, and her gaze became a littleplicated. ¡°You look like someone.¡± Puzzled, Laura tilted her head. ¡°Who do I look like?¡±. Winnie stared at her and said, ¡°My sister.¡± Laura was stunned. Winnie¡¯s eyes gradually teared up. She turned away as she sobbed, ¡°You look like my sister. Your mouth is exactly the same as hers, and you also have a simr temperament.¡± Feeling a little sad, Laura grabbed the hem of Winnie¡¯s clothes. ¡°Where is your sister? Are you on bad terms?¡± Winnie was stunned and smiled. ¡°Yes, we¡¯re on bad terms. She seems to have disappeared from the world, and I can¡¯t find her.¡± After saying that, she realized that something was wrong and quickly wiped her tears. ¡°Sorry. I lost myposure. How can I tell you this? Just forget about it.¡± Laura frowned and said nothing. She pouted. ¡°It¡¯s okay. I canfort you and apany you.¡± Winnie looked at her in surprise, and her tears fell again. She tried to control her emotions. ¡°I just miss her so much.¡± She would feel heartbroken at the thought of Lilian. Winnie wanted to discuss Lilian with the people around her, but no one was willing to talk with her calmly. Lilian¡¯s name became exactly like what she personally said. Everyone reckoned Lilian was the worst in their hearts. She could not get rid of that even after her death. Comment Send gift No Limits 41 Chapter 41 Chapter 41 Laura frowned in distress. Upon noticing that Winnie was crying so hard that she could not breathe, Laura reached out and cupped the former¡¯s face. ¡°Don¡¯t cry. Your sister will definitely not want to see you cry. Don¡¯t cry anymore. Otherwise, I¡¯d want to cry, too.¡± Winnie looked at Laura¡¯s red eyes and chuckled. ¡°Everyone says that having a daughter is nice. I¡¯ve given birth to three sons but no adorable daughter, I wish to have a cute daughter like you.¡± After saying that, she gently held Laura in her arm For some reason, Winnie could not help but want to get close to Laura after seeing thetter. She calmed down and swiftly removed the emerald bracelet before putting it into Laura¡¯s bag. ¡°This is for you.¡± Laura was ttered. ¡°No! No! I can¡¯t take anything from strangers!¡± Winnie sped Laura¡¯s hand gently. ¡°It¡¯s fine. This is a gift to you. It¡¯s not food, and you don¡¯t need to be nervous. Thank you for listening to me, L. I believe that you will be a famous actress in the future. See youter.¡± As Winnie spoke, Dora cheerfully came out of the room with the contract in her hand. ¡°L, it¡¯s done. Let¡¯s go. I¡¯ll take you to the indoor yground!¡± After Dora had finished talking, the smile on her face instantly disappeared. She looked at Winnie in astonishment. ¡°Mrs. Smith?¡± Dora realized that Winnie had already met Laura. She cursed inwardly, ¡°Holy crap!¡± Winnie was also surprised to see Dora. ¡°Ms. Quinn, did you bring this child here for the interview? Is this child your-¡± Dora interrupted anxiously, ¡°Aunt! She is my aunt! No! I¡¯m her aunt!¡± She was in a hurry as if she was covering something up. Winnieughed. ¡°Why are you so nervous? I didn¡¯t ask you any difficult questions.¡± Dora broke out in a cold sweat. ¡°I want to introduce myself because this child is recently brought back to our family! I¡¯m worried you¡¯ll misunderstand me!¡± Winnie was baffled. ¡°There¡¯s no misunderstanding. This child is very nice. I like her.¡± Dora¡¯s smite froze. She mentally remarked, ¡°If you knew who gave birth to this child, you probably wouldn¡¯t like her. Maybe you¡¯ll want this child to disappear from the earth.¡± Winnie turned around and whispered to Laura, ¡°Put this in your pocket and hide it. Only you can know this. Don¡¯t tell anyone about it. Just ept it as a gift for your growth. This is our secret!¡± After all, Laura was a newly adopted child. It was uncertain whether she would be treated sincerely or not. Winnie¡¯s emerald bracelet was worth only over 15,000 dors. She assumed someone would steal it from Laura. Winnie raised her pinkie and said, ¡°Pinkie promise.¡± Blinking, Laura silently stuffed the bracelet into her pocket. ¡°Pinkie promise!¡± Upon looking at them, Dora got scared. She took the initiative to step forward and say, ¡°Mrs. Smith, I should leave with Laura. I¡¯m sorry for making you help take care of the kid.¡± 13:28 Sun, 17 Aug ¨‹IN Winnie smited gently. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. I also like girls. The three boys at home are not sweet at all, unlike Laura. She¡¯s cute and very sensible if only i had a daughter!¡± She looked at Laura with adoration. Dora was forced to smile and nod. It was so dramatic. She did not know what to say. Winnie gave Laura a deep look and leaned down, pointing to her own cheek. ¡°Can you give me a kiss?¡± Laura kissed her obediently, making a smooching sound. Winnie liked it so much. ¡°Good girl, I¡¯ll be leaving. See you next time!¡± Laura waved to her reluctantly. Then, Dora dragged Laura to the side nervously and said seriously, ¡°Listen to me. When you see her next time, stay away. Do you hear me? You can¡¯t talk to her anymore!¡± 811 ff No Limits 42 Chapter 42 Chapter 42 Still immersed in Winnie¡¯s gentleness, Laura was even more confused after hearing that. ¡°Why? I like her very much.¡± Dora had gotten nervous and wanted to say that Winnie was Lilian¡¯s sister. However, she still held back her words. She looked at Laura with a stern expression. ¡°She looks healthy. In fact, she¡¯s very ill and will die if she talks to someone.¡± Laura was shocked as if she had been struck by lightning. That sounded serious. ¡°She just talked to me. Will she- Dora responded solemnly, ¡°Yes, it worsens her health. So, if you like her, stay away from her next time and don¡¯t talk to her, okay?¡± Shocked, Laura nodded. ¡°Okay.¡± Dora breathed a sigh of relief and smiled again. ¡°Great. You made an excellent achievement today. I¡¯ll treat you to McDonald¡¯s and take you to the indoor yground like we promised. I¡¯ll buy you whatever you want! Let¡¯s go!¡± Laura nodded but looked back in the direction where Winnie had disappeared. She frowned thoughtfully and turned around to leave. When Winnie entered the interview hall, Robert was still discussing Laura¡¯s performance with the others. As soon as he saw Winnie, the smile on his face froze. He walked to her nervously and asked, ¡°Why are you here?¡± After seeing his expression, Winnie became a little surprised. ¡°Why do you look like this? Aren¡¯t you happy that I¡¯vee to visit you?¡± His expression was like a husband that had been caught cheating in the drama. Robert looked guilty. Stunned, Robert quickly changed his expression back to the usual. ¡°No, I¡¯m just a little surprised. Your eyes have just recovered. You didn¡¯t tell me when you went outside. I could¡¯ve sent a car to pick you up.¡± Winnie replied helplessly, ¡°Robert, I¡¯ve already told you¨CI¡¯m not that fragile. I came to visit you because I¡¯ve been upset recently. I want to have a chat.¡± Robert immediately realized and probed nervously, ¡°Well¡­ Did you see anything just now?¡± Winnie was confused. ¡°What?¡± Robert breathed a sigh of relief. ¡°Nothing. Let¡¯s chat in another room.¡± That almost scared him to death. Although he had a good impression of Laura, he would still hate the child if Winnie¡¯s health deteriorated after thetter had met her. Robert mused, ¡°Fortunately, Winnie didn¡¯t see Laura. Otherwise, she would have noticed that Laura looks like Antonio when she first met the child. They look very much alike.¡± Dora took Laura to the indoor yground happily. She also brought some delicious food, such as fried chicken and soft drinks. Dora patted Laura¡¯s shoulders in the waiting area, saying, ¡°L, this is an extraordinary indoor yground. A yground with this huge scale is the most high¨Cend indoor yground. Rich people¡¯s childrene here to y. You¡¯re also a child from a wealthy family. So, go inside and have fun now. Come out and have some fries when you get hungry! Go on!¡± Laura changed her shoes cheerfully and stood in front of the huge indoor yground, not knowing what to do. Chapter 42 She had seen it before, but the size was much smaller than the one in front. Lifan would not let her y inside. Laura ran inside, hesitating about what to y with. When she was about to climb the stairs, someone suddenly grabbed her cor and dragand he directly to the ground. She fell to the ground in pain and met Mandy¡¯s sharp gaze when she raised her head. Mandy crossed her arms and stared at Laura fiercely. ¡°You just passed the interview, didn¡¯t you? You took my lead role! How dare your celebrate here? This is my ce to vent my sadness. Get out of here!¡± No Limits 43 Chapter 43 Chapter 43 Laura was confused. She looked behind her and saw several girls staring at her. She had a bad feeling. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked. Mandy sneered. ¡°What do we want? To beat you up, of course!¡± With that, she raised her hand and prepared to strike Laura in the face, Laura reacted swiftly and ducked to escape Mandy¡¯s grasp, quickly rushing in the opposite direction. ¡°Get her!¡± Mandymanded. Herckeys swarmed over and grabbed Laura. Laura moved quickly on her feet, darting through the corners to escape. ¡°They think they canpete with me?¡± she thought with a scoff. She grew up in an orphanage. Zayn had taught her to fight and defend herself. As such, she was very agile and resilient. However, when she reached a corner of the stairs, Mandy¡¯sckeys blocked her way. ¡°Don¡¯t even think of running!¡± Laura frowned. She noticed the ball pit beside her and plunged in. Mandy shouted, ¡°Get her out of there!¡± Laura picked up a stic ball and threw it at Mandy as she retorted, ¡°You can¡¯t catch me!¡± The ball hit Mandy straight in the head. Mandy was caught off guard. She held her throbbing forehead and eximed, ¡°How dare you hit me?¡± Laura coolly picked up two more stic balls. ¡°Watch this!¡± she taunted. Mandy was at a loss. Soon, what sounded like shrieks of joy filled the indoor yground¡¯s ball pit. However, those were actually screams of fear. A group of girls who appeared to be six or seven years old wanted to enter the ball pit, but Laura, who was fiercely defending the area, threw the balls at them. Her aim was precise, and her movements were fast. It didn¡¯t take long for those girls¡® faces to be covered in red traces from being hit. Some of them cried in defeat, ¡°Can we stop first? I can¡¯t fight anymore!¡± Lauray in the ball pit and stared at Mandy. Mandy was so angry that she picked up a stray stic ball and chucked it at Laura¡¯s face. Laura swiftly dodged it. ¡°You can¡¯t hit me!¡± she mocked. Mandy flushed in anger and red at Laura. ¡°Where are you from? Don¡¯t you know how great I am? You won¡¯t get away with offending me! I want to know who your parents are. My daddy can easily deal with them. Wanna bet?¡± Chapter 43 Laura¡¯s face darkened. ¡°I won¡¯t tell you!¡± ¡°What if Uncle Robert and Zayn get punished?¡± she thought. She didn¡¯t want to say anything. Mandy gritted her teeth and nced at Dora, who was making a call outside. ¡°Fine. Even if you don¡¯t tell me, I have ways to find out Just wait and wes she warned. With that, she turned and left with the other girls. Laura remained in the ball pit, frowning as she watched Mandy¡¯s retreating figure. ¡°Did I really offend her? Probably not. Let¡¯s continue ying!¡± she thought. Mandy became angrier the more she thought about what had happened. Her friendsforted her. ¡°Mandy, don¡¯t be angry. Let¡¯s look into who she is first so that we can deal with her properly. After all, she¡¯s the female lead It¡¯ll be easy to get information about her. We can get our fathers to bully hers. Don¡¯t be angry anymore.¡± Mandy was enraged. ¡°What¡¯s the use of just bullying her father? I should be the female lead. I want her to disappear. Then, nobody can bother me anymore!¡± AD No Limits 44 Chapter 44 The girls looked at each other, unsure of what to do. ¡°How can we do that? Her guardian is still here.¡± Mandy looked back at Dora. Dora had been on the phone the whole time, her smile never once disappearing. She went to the neighboring stall to buy a milkshake and continued with her call there. An idea struck Mandy. She singled out a friend and asked, ¡°You weren¡¯t there when we were fighting just now, were you? Tell her to look for Dora. Say that Dora was taken away by bad people, and they¡¯re looking for her right now.¡°. The girl was stunned. She looked at Laura, who was ying on the slide, and hesitantly asked, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea. What if L gets lost?¡± Mandy raged, ¡°Do you not get what I mean? I want her to get lost! If you don¡¯t do it, we won¡¯t be friends anymore!¡± The girl paled. She hesitated again but ended up walking toward Laura. ¡°L, is your sister the prettydy wearing a pink dress?¡± Laura, who was engrossed in ying, looked up at the question. ¡°Are you talking about Dora?¡± The girl hodded. ¡°Yes. Dora! A bunch of people took her away. She was calling for you when that happened. Do you want to save her? She went that way.¡± She pointed in the opposite direction from where Dora was. Laura looked in Dora¡¯s direction. There was no one there. There was only a bag of McDonald¡¯s takeaway. Her heart skipped a beat. She asked softly, ¡°Is that true? Dora was taken by bad people?¡± The girl nodded, her arms crossed. ¡°Yes. You should hurry, or it¡¯ll be toote!¡± The other girls who weren¡¯t involved in the fight from earlier nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. Go quickly. Only you can save her!¡± Without a second thought, Laura put on her shoes and ran outside the indoor yground. Mandy stood there with a wicked smile, watching as Laura disappeared. She nced at the girl, who had a look of guilt on her face. ¡°Good job. I¡¯ll speak highly of your parents to my daddy,¡± she praised. Laura ran out, looking all around her in confusion. ¡°Dora, where are you?¡± she shouted. She ran as fast as she could on her stubby legs, following the path that they had taken before. She walked straight out of the mall, bing more and more anxious. ¡°Dora! Dora! Where are you?¡± A passerby came forward when she saw her tearful expression and asked, ¡°Little girl, who are you looking for? Are you lost? How about I bring you to look for your family in the mall?¡± Laura shook her head, her eyes turning red. ¡°They said my sister was taken away by bad guys. I¡¯m going to save her.¡± The passerby was shocked. Laura ran further and continued to shout, ¡°Dora, where are you? Dora!¡± In a state of panic, she searched along the road for anyone who resembled Dora. In the mall, Dora took the milkshake while still talking on the phone. ¡°As I said, my judgment is truly unique. When I saw that child for the first time, ! Chapter 44 knew that she had significant value. As expected, she became the female lead!¡± She returned to the indoor yground, unable to hide her excitement. ¡°Let me take some photos of her! She¡¯s having a great time ying in the Indoo yground now.¡± Dora hung up the phone, opened her camera, and looked inside the indoor yground. However, she couldn¡¯t find Laura. ¡°L¡¯, where are you? Come here for a moment!¡± she called. There was no response. Dora frowned, ¡°L?¡± 1 Ìï AD Comment No Limits 45 Chapter 45 Mandy scoffed from aer at how clueless Dora was about the severity of the situation. ¡°L! Come here. Do you hear me?¡± Dora continued. However, there was still no response. me find someone inside? She¡¯s about four years old, Feeling something was amiss, Dora grabbed a girl and asked, ¡°Little girl, could you please help wearing a blue dress, and is very pretty. Her name is Laura, Could you tell her to meet me at the entrance?¡± The girl did not think much. She turned around and went in, loudly shouting Laura¡¯s name. However, no one came even after she shouted for a long time. The little girl said apologetically, ¡°Miss, I couldn¡¯t find that girl. I¡¯m sorry.¡± Dora paled, realizing something was wrong. She quickly found a staff member and asked, ¡°Can I go in to look for my child? She seems to have gone missing!¡± The staff agreed and helped to search as well. They searched for a long time but did not find Laura. Dora began to panic. The staff asked tentatively, ¡°Are you sure the child didn¡¯t run out?¡± Her heart skipped a beat and she nced at her milkshake. She had been waiting at the bar counter nearby, close to the entrance. However, when she returned after buying the milkshake, Laura disappeared. ¡°Could she have run out because she was worried she couldn¡¯t find me?¡± Dora thought. ¡°I want to check the surveince camera,¡± she requested. Dora¡¯s voice trembled, and she raised her phone to record Laura on the surveince camera. Sure enough, she found Laura being chased and saw her fighting with Mandy and the others in the ball pit. Mandy then walked out. At this time, Laura was still ying in the yground. Meanwhile, Mandy was having a small meeting with a group of people. Then a girl walked to Laura and said something. After that, Laura ran out in a hurry. Coincidentally, she ran opposite from where Dora was buying a milkshake. ¡± Dora suddenly couldn¡¯t breathe, an ominous feeling oveing her. She rushed into the indoor yground without hesitation. The staff hurriedly stopped her, saying, ¡°Madam, you cannot go in! Only we can. Please speak to us if you have anything to say!¡± However, Dora did not listen. She found the girl who talked to Laura and grabbed her fiercely. ¡°What did you say to L?¡± she shouted. The girl was ovee by guilt, and her eyes welled with tears when she was yelled at. Mandy remained calm and came forward to defend her friend. ¡°What are you doing? How can you do that to her?¡± Chapter 13 Dora¡¯s eyes reddened, and she nearly lost her patterice. That¡¯s right, you too. Your re friends, arm¡¯t you? What did you say to Laist why did it like that? Exin yourselves!¡± ¡°You can¡¯t even control your child, but you¡¯re ming us? We¡¯re just children!* Mandy retorted. The parents of Mandy and the girl rushed in, pushing Dora aside. ¡°Who said you could touch my daughter?¡± Dora showed them the recording. ¡°My child ran out after your daughters talked to her. I want to you two must have taken revenge because L got the role!¡± she used. know the truth! Such despicable mother and daughter, Annie¡¯s face contorted in anger. She shrilled, ¡°What are you saying? Are you ndering me? How audacious of you to offend the Zimmerman family AD Comment No Limits 46 Chapter 46 Mandy chimed in, ¡°That¡¯s right! Do you know who we are? If my Daddy finds out about you, he¡¯ll make it so you¡¯ll be jobless forever¡°. Dora became more anxious by the minute. ¡°Do you know who this child is? Do you know her identity?¡± she roared. Suddenly, everything went silent. Annie responded sarcastically, ¡°Wow, who could she be? She couldn¡¯t possibly be the child of the richest families in Luceras, namely, the Smith fami the Yale family, or the Graham family, could she? What a joke!¡± The other mothers alsoughed. ¡°How ignorant! You lost your child, yet you¡¯re ming others?¡± The mother of the girl who lied also snorted. ¡°Miss, wait here. I want to call the police!¡± Dora trembled in anger. She picked up her phone and called Louis. She burst into tears the moment the call connected. ¡°Mr. Yale! L¡¯s gone missing! She was tricked and ran out of the indoor yground. I¡¯m looking for her now, but I¡¯m worried I can¡¯t find her!¡± ¡°What?¡± Louis responded in shock. ¡°I just got my hands on the child, and now she¡¯s lost?¡± he thought. He quickly called Antonio. ¡°Antonio, that child is missing. Dora said she took her to the indoor yground, but the child got tricked and ran out of the mall, and now she can¡¯t be found. You¡¯d better prepare yourself mentally.¡± Antonio was at a loss for words. ¡°Prepare? Prepare for what? For the child¡¯s disappearance?¡± he thought. He responded in a stern voice, ¡°Hurry go look for her!¡± Laura was at a loss as she searched the streets. ¡°Ms. Quinn! Ms. Quinn! Where are you?¡± she shouted as she walked, not daring to stop despite being tired. Ady watched her faltering steps from the shadows and approached her cautiously. Laura looked around with tearful eyes. She was tired and wanted to rest for a while. However, Dora was still in danger, so she couldn¡¯t rest. She continued to search aimlessly. Then a kind¨Clooking olddy dressed in shabby clothes came to her and asked, ¡°Sweetie, why are you crying so badly? What happened?¡± Laura was exhausted. She looked at the olddy and said, ¡°Ms. Quinn is missing. She got taken away by bad people. Grandma, have you seen Ms. Quinn?¡± The olddy¡¯s eyes lit up. She nodded fervently. ¡°Ms. Quinn, I¡¯ve seen her! I saw her get taken into that alley by a bunch of men. Would you like to go with me to find her?¡± Laura¡¯s eyes brightened. ¡°Really?¡± The olddy nodded. ¡°Yes. Come with me. If you don¡¯t, she may be taken away!¡± The olddy quickly headed into an alley, and Laura hurriedly followed. A Maybach car was parked across the alley. Two bodyguards with sunsses stood outside the car, looking around sharply. They fixed their eyes on Laura. She was fair¨Cskinned and wearing expensive clothes, following behind a shabbily dressed olddy. ¡°What a mismatched grandmother granddaughter pair,¡± they thought. They stared unconsciously. Inside the car, a tough looking man in a ck shirt held a cigarette and brushed his hair aside. Louis sent a message in the group chat: [Laura is missing. She¡¯s Lilian¡¯s daughter. She got lost in Victorious Mall today. Surveince cameras show that she ran to the east after leaving the mall. Help me look for her!] AD No Limits 47 Chapter 47 Louis attached the photo of Laura wearing a dress for today¡¯s interview. Also, he sent the surveince footage of her running out. Robert texted: [She went missing after she passed the interview today? What¡¯s going on? She has been cast as the female lead. What should I do something happens to her?] Jasper replied: [Being the female lead is not the point here. Uncle Louis, is this how your assistant works? Laura¡¯s only four years old! How can you leave a four¨Cyear¨Cold child alone? You can¡¯t let her out of your sight!] Louis texted: [She must have heard something before she disappeared. She must think that something had happened to her friend. Anyway, we should use all our connections to find her. We can¡¯t lose her!] Joshua frowned in disgust and took a drag as he muttered, ¡°Children are the most annoying creatures on earth.¡± He typed: [Since she¡¯s Lilian¡¯s child, what does her safety have to do with us? We¡¯ll be relieved of a burden if she dies. Isn¡¯t that great?] Louis: [Even an animal isn¡¯t as heartless as you. She¡¯s a child! Joshua, if you¡¯re not offering to help, get out of here!] To that, Joshua sneered. He thought, ¡°I doubt Lilian will give birth to a good kid. What¡¯s more, she had that child with Antonio. No matter how I see it, she¡¯s just another illegitimate child.¡± The two bodyguards stood opposite the car as they stared at the alley. Suddenly, Laura screamed and wailed as she struggled to leave the passageway but was dragged into it again by an olddy. The two bodyguards knocked on the car window as they sensed something was amiss. Then, Joshua lowered the window irritably. Just as the bodyguard was about to speak, he spotted a struggling figure in the alley with his sharp eyes. The bodyguard said, ¡°Mr. Yale, a little girl over there seems to have been kidnapped by some human trafficker. Do you want to help her?¡± Joshua picked up the telescope and aimed it at the alley. Seeing the struggling figure, he raised his eyebrows and put down the telescope with great interest. ¡°Found her,¡± he muttered. Laura tried relentlessly but struggled to escape from the olddy¡¯s grip. ¡°Let me go!¡± She felt something wrong when she entered the alley and wanted to run away, but this olddy was too strong. She yelled, ¡°You¡¯re a bad person. Let me go!¡± The olddy said in response, ¡°Nonsense! Come with me!¡± Laura took the opportunity to bite her hand hard! The olddy grimaced in pain. ¡°Ouch! It hurts so much!¡± The moment she released her grip, Laura rushed out immediately. The olddy reacted quickly, grabbed her by her cor, and threw her to the wall. Then, she picked up a brick from the ground, wanting to smash it at Chapter 47 Laura¡¯s head. ¡°How dare you bite me? Let me teach you a lesson! Laura¡¯s mind went nk for a while as she watched the bricking in her direction. Suddenly, a ze hit the brick. Aloud bang rang out in the air. The brick in the olddy¡¯s hand suddenly fell to the ground. The olddy was stunned and looked up at the entrance of the alley. Under the sunlight, a man in a ck shirt took off his sunsses and said casually, ¡°Hey, give me the child.¡± The olddy didn¡¯t have time to think about what aborted the brick and quickly hugged Laura, who was trying to escape. ¡°Why should I do that? This is my granddaughter. She¡¯s simply being mischievous and refuses to listen to me. Mind your own business and get out of here!¡± Laura yelled, ¡°She¡¯s not my grandma! Sir, help me! Help me!¡± Joshua raised a brow and said with a smirk, ¡°Sir?¡°. No Limits 48 Chapter 48 Joshua walked into the shadow, took out a gun casually, loaded it indifferently, and pointed straight at the olddy. ¡°Hey, kiddo. You made a mistake. I¡¯m your uncle.¡± Laura was stunned. Seeing the gun, the olddy held her breath and straightened up her back, trying to act tough. ¡°Don¡¯t try to scare me with a fake gun. Do you think I have never seen a real one before?¡± Joshua smiled and pulled the trigger at the brick again. With a slight noise, the brick was instantly shattered into pieces. A piece of brick whizzed past Laura¡¯s cheek, leaving bloodstain on it. She merely looked at Joshua nkly. The gun with a silencer merged with the noisy street. However, the olddy was scared out of her mind. She immediately put down Laura as if she was a hot potato. > Joshua pointed the gun at her and saidzily, ¡°You¡¯re dead if you ever step into my territory again. Leave now.¡± The olddy dared not to disobey. She ran out of the alley instantly. Just as she walked out, two bodyguards in ck rushed up and grabbed her, hitting her on her neck to make her faint. Joshua put away the gunzily. ¡°Send this olddy to the police station. We have to do good deeds asionally and punish evil.¡± ¡°Understood, Mr. Yale,¡± said one of the bodyguards. Then, he turned his head contemptuously and looked at Laura, who sat on the ground. She had dirt all over her body. Sitting in the passageway, her eyes were clear and watery, as if she were clear spring water. Looking at her face alone, Joshua felt that she looked perfect. Joshua thought, ¡°How could Lilian give birth to such a beautiful baby? Sure enough, Antonio¡¯s genes are better.¡± Then, he put on his sunsses. As he raised a corner of his mouth, he asked, ¡°What did you just call me, little rascal?¡± Laura tilted her head and said in a sweet voice, ¡°Sir.¡± Joshua smiled contemptuously and said, ¡°Don¡¯t call me that. I¡¯m not a good person. Don¡¯t think that I just saved you. I will drag you to a ce where people sell kids now. You will be sold at a good price with your pretty face. Believe it or not.¡± Laura looked at him in a daze. Seeing his evil smile, she suddenly burst intoughter. Joshua was dumbfounded. ¡°What are youughing at?¡± The other bodyguard also frowned in confusion. He thought, ¡°Isn¡¯t this little girl too ignorant? How can sheugh in this situation? It¡¯s never a good idea to provoke Mr. Yale.¡± Laura¡¯s eyes glimmered as she slowly stretched out her hand to take off Joshua¡¯s sunsses. Then, she held his cheek. ¡°You are Uncle Joshua, aren¡¯t you?¡± Chapter 48 Joshua was stunned when he heard that. In the shady alley, the little girl touched his cheek with her warm hand. He was stunned for a moment and didn¡¯t know how to respond. Laura smiled. ¡°I saw you in Mommy¡¯s photo. You are her second brother! Mommy said you look like a bad person at first nce, but you are very kind and like plushies and idols, right?¡± Joshua was rendered speechless. He thought, ¡°How does she know that?¡± Puzzled, the bodyguard scratched his head.. He thought, ¡°Idols? Plushies? So the ruthless Mr. Yale has a girly hobby like that in private?¡± A hint of murderous intent shed in Joshua¡¯s gaze as he suddenly turned to look at the bodyguard. The bodyguard quickly looked up at the sky and said, ¡°Wow! It¡¯s so dark!¡± The corner of Joshua¡¯s mouth twitched as he looked at Laura ferociously. ¡°I don¡¯t like idols or plushies! Don¡¯t talk nonsense, or will shoot you!¡± Laura trembled with fear. Her big eyes were watery. She looked at him fearfully and asked, ¡°Really? Will you shoot me?¡± Joshua fell silent for a while before he said, ¡°I¡¯ll do it sooner orter!¡± Secretly, he thought, ¡°But it won¡¯t be now. I¡¯m starting to find her cute. Damn it.¡± AD No Limits 49 Chapter 49 He really liked adorable things. He stared at the little child in front of him. The child was just a little bit cuter than other babies. Joshua took out his phone angrily. ¡°Do you know how much trouble you have caused? Can you please stop bothering us like your mother?¡± Laura trembled and felt that he would get mad at her seriously. She frowned in fear, ¡°I¡­ didn¡¯t mean to cause you any trouble. Thedy told me that the bad guys took away Ms. Quinn, and she needed me to protect her, so I came to find Ms. Quinn.¡± Louis had already picked up Joshua¡¯s call, and Louis happened to hear her wordspletely. The two of them said at the same time, ¡°Whichdy?¡°. Laura said in a sweet and childlike voice, ¡°It¡¯s thedy in the indoor yground.¡± Louis heard it and said in a fierce tone, ¡°It¡¯s Mandy¡¯s friend. I watched the video. It was Mandy who instigated the child!¡± The Zimmerman family were having designs on the Yale family. They were courting death! Joshua squinted fiercely. ¡°Louis, what is that bossy CEO male lead¡¯s ssic line?¡± Louis said in a gloomy tone, ¡°I don¡¯t know. I don¡¯t like reading girly novels as you do. I just know that it¡¯s time for the Zimmerman family to go bankrupt.¡± Joshua was stunned for a moment before he chuckled. ¡°Then what are you waiting for, domineering CEO?¡± Louis hung up the phone fiercely and said before he cut the calt, ¡°Send Laura to my house!¡± After Laura was taken home, she washed up and wore a clean skirt. Dora held her in her arms and cried bitterly, making Laura confused. Dora cried as if she had lost her daughter. ¡°Oh, my child, do you know you scared me to death? I almost thought I wouldn¡¯t be able to see you for the rest of my life. Do you know how sad I was? You scared me to death!¡± Her cries rang out in the room. Louis felt a headache when she cried. ¡°Since you have changed her clothes, go home. I won¡¯t bother you today.¡± Dora said with tears in her eyes, ¡°So, boss, will my sry be deducted?¡± Louis red at her. ¡°What do you think? You lost the child. Whose sry will be deducted if I don¡¯t deduct your sry? Mine?¡± Dora curled her mouth and cried even more sadly, but it made sense. She waved at Laura tearfully and turned around to leave. Then, Antonio, Jasper, Xander, Everett, and Robert strode in with huge strides. Laura wore a white princess¨Cstyle nightdress, and her hair wasbed into two loose braids by Dora. There was also a crochet flower hairpin on her head. She hid on the sofa with her feet folded together, looking at Paw Patrol intently. Antonio entered the living room. His nervous heart calmed down after seeing her mushroom¨Clike body. 23:40 Mon, 18 Aug He strode to her with a cold expression on his face and said in an extremely cold tone, ¡°Are you hurt?¡± Laura was engrossed in the show. When she saw Antonio, her eyes lit up. ¡°Mr. Smith! You¡¯re here!¡± Laura jumped off the sofa and ran to him. Then she hugged his thighs and said sweetly, ¡°Mr. Smith! I miss you!¡± Antonio was caught off guard, and his face stiffened. Laura stepped back and looked at Jasper, who was next to him. Then she held Jasper with her arms open more happily. ¡°Jasper! I miss you so much!¡± Jasper couldn¡¯t help but soften his gaze and say nothing. When she caught sight of Xander and Everett, her expression turned obedient. ¡°Good evening, Xander and Everett.¡± Her attitude was drastically different. Laura began to practice differential treatment. The two brothers frowned. Robert stood not too far away and looked at them. Normally, they liked to get together and chat in the house. No females woulde, and the room was full of males, so the atmosphere was very serious when they were together. However, a small figure appeared, and it was as if she had livened up the atmosphere. Seeing her, Jasper was finally relieved. He noticed her face and gently touched the extremely thin scar on her face. ¡°Why is your face injured?¡± Joshua smoked a cigarette before saying, ¡°It¡¯s nothing. It was just that when I opened fire in front of her, a stone grazed her cheek.¡± After he said that, everyone fell silent. Everyone cast ominous and gloomy nces at him. AD No Limits 50 Chapter 50 Jasper looked at Joshua as if he found his behavior absurd. ¡°Uncle Joshua, what¡¯s wrong with you? Why did you open fire in front of a kiddor This Hestrya! What¡¯s more, what if the stofie hit her eyes? She would have be blind!¡°. Joshua frowned and said, ¡°How can she be so delicate?¡± Jasper replied seriously, ¡°She can!¡± Seeing that her brother was so nervous, Laura hurriedly stood on tiptoe and shook her brother¡¯s hand. ¡°Jasper! I was not ufortable, and my uncle saved me! He was so handsome. I like him very much because he shot like handsome characters on TVI Please don¡¯t scold him anymore.¡± Then she took Jasper¡¯s hand and looked at Joshua with a sweet smile on her face. ¡°Thank you for saving me, Uncle Joshua!¡± Joshua was stunned, and his ears turned red. He looked away and said fiercely, ¡°Don¡¯t thank me. I just did what I could choose not to do. Besides, it is useless for you to please me or for me to like you. Sooner orter, I will get rid of you.¡± Laura frowned and finally asked, ¡°Jasper, what does he mean by getting rid of me?¡± Jasper pulled her to the sofa and sat down. ¡°He¡¯ll give you a flick on your head with his finger sooner orter.¡± She was startled and hid behind Jasper. ¡°No! It hurts!¡± She was soft and delicate. The faces of several men turned gentle, and even the expressions of two brothers/she did not like could not help but soften. Robert couldn¡¯t helpughing. He shook his head. ¡°This kid is not like Lilian at all.¡± His smile disappeared again after saying that, and his expression became solemn. The atmosphere became cold. He said something that he should not have said. Antonio¡¯s face was scarily gloomy. Jasper looked at Laura with aplicated look on his face. No matter how cute she was, she was Lilian¡¯s child. If she was Winnie¡¯s child, they would give their all to dote on her. However, she was not Winnie¡¯s daughter. Antonio sat on the small sofa, crossed his legs, and nced at Laura. ¡°How did you get lost today? Why were you lost?¡± Jasper also came back to his senses. He took out his phone seriously and showed Laura the surveince camera footage before the incident. ¡°Look at this. Did you fight with someone?¡± Laura tilted her head and nodded unyieldingly. ¡°Yes, and I won! I know how to fight well!¡± The men were stunned. Joshua sneered, ¡°Did you win? You were even fooled by them to go out. If I hadn¡¯t shown up in time, you would have been sold to some corner now. Do you call it a win?¡± Laura blinked and felt guilty. ¡°I was stupid. I believed what they said, but at the beginning of the fight, I really won!¡°. 23:40 Mon, 18 Aug Jasper yed the surveince camera footage directly on the big TV. Sure enough, in the high¨Cdefinition surveince camera video, Laura was like a little wolf puppy defending her pink stic balls. Laura pointed at the screen and said, ¡°I call this move the Pink Flying Bomb!¡± The men¡¯s mouths twitched, and they looked at her teasingly. Robert thought for a while and said, ¡°You¡¯re quite good at fighting.¡± Laura shook her short legs. ¡°Yes. I¡¯m the daughter of a murderer. Many people don¡¯t like me and like to hit me, so I learned how to fight under Zayn¡¯s guidance! If I can¡¯t beat them, I will run away!¡± Was she the daughter of a murderer? The atmosphere suddenly became solemn. Louis frowned. ¡°Who taught you that? Who said you were the daughter of a murderer?¡± Laura looked innocent. ¡°Everyone is saying that I am the daughter of a murderer! Am I not?¡± The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!